The Angst of Fate Testarossa & co
by babbler
Summary: Fate just wants a quiet boring school life.  It's too bad no one, escpecially a certain White Devil, cares what she wants.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

Babbler: Enjoy and please review. Feedback helps my writing and gives me incentive to keep going.

P.S: In this story I have some fun with the characters. If the rigid Nanoha Universe is your thing then this probably isn't the story for you.

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The Angst of Fate Testarossa and Co.

The high-pitched hum of an hair dryer on max power had been marching through my brain for the past ten minutes. My stupid sister and her "hair, hair, long glorious hair…." Now I'd have that tune stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Every freaking morning she has to dry nearly six feet of hair…I mean how the frick does she manage? With the sitting on it, other people sitting on it, it blowing in the breeze, and getting caught in the trees…

I crawled out of bed and balled my bedclothes up into a little mound, making sure to tie a few knots, and then adjusted my pillows and fitted sheet perfectly. Mother had gotten mad at me for not making my bed yesterday…

Ugh, that was stupid. I guess that's why mother says I'm childish. With a glance at the clock I quickly undressed and jumped into my hole in the wall for a power shower. I had my toothbrush in there with me since the bathroom lacked a sink. Seriously what kind of bathroom has a toilet but no sink? I can't even begin to count how many times I've been forced to use the toilet and then open the door with my elbows and lie on my bed with my hands outstretched- like some kind of lazy zombie- waiting for Alicia to do, whatever the f^ck it takes her so long to do, to wash my hands in the other bathroom that actually has a sink like a bathroom should!

I usually showered the night before but I liked to wash my practical shoulder length hair in the morning. I had cut it only recently, at school with scissors, when I realized the end of my hair was wet. I couldn't quite understand why since I hadn't been near any water…but then it struck me like a semi. I had just come from the bathroom and I had sat on the toilet…

"FATE!" the mother unit bellowed from downstairs. I jumped a little and smashed my head against the low ceiling.

Eyes closed and watering I turned off the shower and…slid across the room. A small stream of water was trickling out of my showery hole and almost the entire length of the room. Dammit. I just lay their naked, sprawled out on the cool tiles. It felt kinda nice after a scorching hot shower.

The door flew open. "Would you hurry…" Alicia turned around, "Thanks for ruining my morning."

"You're face ruins all my mornings," I shot back immediately.

"My face is your face," she said placing a hand on her hip and brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Don't remind me." I got to my feet and slid across to my closet and threw-up on my uniform…I mean _threw_ on my uniform. Though the former I have done in the morning sometimes…especially in the mornings. Black rum and the 7:00 am hour do not mix.

"You always make me late!" Alicia grabbed my tie from behind and dragged me across the room. I snatched up my book bag along the way. She stopped as she reached the door. "You have underwear on right?"

"Uh?"

"Nothing!" She glowed bright red and then turned on her heel to stomp down the stairs.

Technically since we're identical twins we should have the same brains but there was no way the electricians that wired her noggin had his certification. Just like when Subaru tried to rewire something in her car. When you tried to blow the horn, the lights came on, and when you hit the lights, nothing happened at all. At least I tried to be weird; it seemed to come fairly naturally to her.

We marched to the front door and waited for the morning ritual to begin. This morning ritual repeated every morning for the last eleven years. The mother unit would begin by twirling in on a pink cloud of rainbows, and then in a voice that would kill diabetics outright, she'd say…

"Alicia! You look so pretty today." Mother twirled in her aforementioned cloud of pink shit and rainbows. "You look more like me everyday."

You'd think this would be negative reinforcement. You know, if someone said the same hollow morning greeting every single freaking day, rain or shine, like some freaking mailwoman of hollow platitudes you'd think it would lose its value. Any normal person would wonder about their mother's sanity or at least her OCDness but…

Alicia dearest, hopped up on unicorn extract and care bear dander, would glow and visibly hover several centimetres off the ground and then reply, "Thank you mom! I'll make sure I'll fulfill your expectations to the fullest." Then she'd bend over to tie her shoes and that's when you had to be careful. You see, holy light shone out of her ass and if it shot directly into your corneas, needless to say, it burned like a motherf^cker.

But the ritual wasn't over yet. With Alicia bending over wiggling her WMD around, mother would then look at me and say, "Behave yourself," and walk away with the words still on her lips. Again, that whole negative reinforcement thing came into affect like it should work on normal people. I could get perfect marks and glowing teacher interviews, but still "Behave yourself," or win best student role model and still, "Behave yourself."

And then there was the way she said it. Like there was no point in saying it at all because what could you expect from me anyway?

With that idiocy done, we'd finally manage to make it outside and then it was my turn for a little idiotic ritual. It had three steps: cigarette from package, 2. Place in mouth, 3. Light said ciggie.

"How do you think you'll do on the chemistry test?" Alicia sighed, "I couldn't remember which was electron geometry and which was molecular geometry." She'd long ago given up trying to dissuade me from smoking. Now she simply stayed up wind of me and I respected this by not blowing the smoke directly in her face like I used to.

Was it wrong that I've been to _almost_ every chemistry class and have honestly never heard either term?

"I aced it," I threw a fist into the air.

"How? I studied for hours and I didn't see you even touch the book…if you even have a book."

"Aced, as in, I got eleven, like in blackjack. I should get at least one-quarter of the multiple choice right and then at least a couple of pity points."

'When are you going to grow up and actually study," she sighed again with her hand to her forehead.

"You realize when the both of us grow up neither of us will need chemistry?"

She wanted to be an English teacher but I think she'd make a good priest or the next Jim Jones.

"I want to keep my options open."

"You're doing it because the she-thing wants you to do it and I'm doing it because _you're_ a little snitch." I took a long drag and blew it her way.

"Yuck." She waved her arms around frantically and ran further ahead. "You have to think of the future. You might need chemistry."

"I can honestly say when I'm sitting in my box shivering in the rain I won't need chemistry."

"You'll be okay. I'll bring you warm food at least."

"You always know exactly the right thing to say." I honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or being sarcastic…it might explain a lot if she were being sarcastic all the time.

It was my turn to sigh this time and I paused for a few seconds waiting for my sister to get a little further ahead. The shortest route to school took us through a park and seated on the first bench after the first bend in the trail, would inevitably be bitch-prime.

Goldilocks slowed down to wait for me, and now that my ciggie was out, she actually walked by my side. I could see her watching me out of the corner of her eye and she seemed to be shaking a little.

After staring off into the distance for a few seconds, her fingers intertwined with my own. I looked down at her hand and then back at her. Something weird was going on. She hasn't held my hand since we were in elementary school! A light blush filled her cheeks and she was smiling slightly; her eyes bright and sparkly. I wouldn't have been surprised if a light shone down from the heavens and puffy white wings sprouted from her back.

"What's with this?" I held up our clasped hands.

"I miss holding your hand." She smiled brightly, searing my corneas in the process.

"You asked if I was wearing underwear earlier…does this have something to do with that."

"WHAT? NO!" Her glow thankfully diminished somewhat. I don't like third degree burns on one side of my face anyhow…not that I enjoy third degree burns anywhere.

When we were younger we were inseparable. We were always hanging off of one another no mater what we're doing. When our bums were smaller we used to even sit on the same chair to eat our meals. I doubt we slept separately a single night up to the fifth grade.

Walking through this trail with the sun shining through the trees, I imagine we'd make a good picture right about now…

"Good morning Alicia-chan!" The auburn haired White Devil Who Walks Amongst Us waved at us from her usual spot. Piercing-blue soulless eyes locked onto our clasped hands and her smile fell a little.

"Yaaa!" She flew at us and cleaved our hands apart with a karate chop. She shoved me off to one side and then latched onto Alicia, holding her arm and smiling brightly. Well, as brightly as someone who dwells in shadow and farts nightmares can smile anyway.

She Who Need Not Be Named's smile was the polar opposite of Alicia's. Where Alicia's smile caused severe burns with its purity, in polar contrast, Nanoha's smile burned because the particles her grin gave off released all of its energy into the epidermis…you know, radiation burns.

"How are you today Alicia?"

"I'm quite fine and how are you Nanoha?"

"It's a nice day. The sun is shining. How could I be anything but fine on such a beautiful day?"

It was another one of my sister's idiotic rituals. I swear if you took a being so evil that vegetation welted in its very presence, he'd still have one of these sugary barftastic conversations with Alicia.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved ciggie nombre deux of our short trip. I wonder how much I would smoke if this evil one before me didn't grace my presence with equal part dreads and saccharine vomit. I think I may have even started because it kept her out of my personal space. The girl really is a personal space invader in the worse way. She tried to steal my undies once while I was wearing them! It scares me to think of the blood soaked demonic ritual she was going to perform with my poor strippies.

She glared at me from the corner of her eye.

"WAAAAAAAH!" I held out my arms and slowly backed away. The key was to make yourself look as large as possible and make lots of noise so she doesn't charge. It was useless to play dead since she'd just maul you until you wet yourself.

"Your sister is so weird Alicia."

Watching the two of them strolling along leisurely with the sun shining through the large birch trees, that were astride either side of the path, I can't help but refute the notion that I and Alicia would make a good picture when the two of them together are unholy in their picturesqueness. Like ying and yang, the ultimate evil and goodness forever locked in beautiful conflict…I mean vapid conversation. Two perfectly sculpted butts swaying too and fro in unison.

"Stop staring at me dog breath."

"Wha?" As if I would stare at her….The girl scout leader always said not to make eye contact with an angry animal. I never thought what I learned from her would be so valuable.

She let go of my sister for a second and trudged back towards me; hands on her hips and blank eyes. Then with a lunge forward she grabbed my cigarette from my mouth and then after looking at it a second thoughtfully, thrust it toward my face.

I ducked and rolled into the bushes. I have been honing my reflexes for many years for exactly such an event. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done.

I peaked out between the leaves and brambles at the Wicked One. She had gone merrily back to clinging to my sister as if she had not tried to thrust a burning hot object into my most precious orifice...not that they're not all precious.

I climbed out of the bushes and brushed myself off. There was a white cylindrical object figuratively burning a hole in my pocket and I needed to partake. I was hoping to save it for later but desperate times called for desperate measures. I pulled out the doobie and lit that sucker up.

"That's better." I took a long haul on the magical little thing and let the smoke waft out. I wonder if I smoked myself retarded would everything be easier? Smoke goes in…problems go out…mmmm.

"I betcha think your so cool with your tie all hanging loose and the cigarette in your mouth." Nanoha was staring at me. What the hell is wrong with her today?

"…but Nanoha, we've been told since the fourth grade that smoking isn't cool. How could you say such a thing." I took another long haul.

Nanoha's hand flew out and grabbed the doobie from my mouth. You'd think I'd learn my lesson after the first time but thankfully, she ran ahead several meters and placed it to her lips and inhaled. "Look at me I'm so…cough…cough…cough."

"Nanoha-chan, that isn't a…"

"Shush." I gently prodded my sister in the ribs.

"…cough….How…do you smoke this?"

"Just do what you just did but don't suck on it like your performing one of your nightly carnal pleasures. Then hold the smoke in your lungs until you can't handle it anymore and then let it out."

Nanoha did as she was told. The best kind of devil spawn is dumb devil spawn. I quickly took the joint back before she did something stupid with it.

"This smoke smells funny." Smoke spilling out between perfect red lips as she spoke.

"Let me have my fun sis," I mouthed the words to Alicia and she reluctantly nodded but eyed Nanoha with concern. It's nice to have a twin that can almost read your thoughts; the key word being almost. Though sometimes she'll say something that'll make me wonder.

"Your poor little virgin alveoli must be suffering. Why don't you take another haul to put them out of their misery?" I held out the joint and Nanoha wrapped her luscious lips around my hard cylindrical object and did just as I instructed.

I could feel a smile etching its way across my face. Nanoha's eyes were already turning a little red. I didn't smoke this stuff often and it was strong enough to send me to Mars. Nanoha is going to be orbiting Neptune in a short while….muhahaha.

"Sis, stop smiling it's creepy," Alicia mouthed to me.

We continued the rest of the walk to the school gate in silence. Alicia was watching Nanoha with concern written all over her face. I suppose my barely suppressed glee was a little terrifying to her.

Mr. Carson was standing at the gate doing uniform inspections. He'd let you pass as long as you were wearing some semblance of a uniform. It was close to the bell and we were the only students around.

He let Nanoha and Alicia pass without even looking at them, though he pushed his sunglasses down his nose to stare at them as they walked to the entrance. I had stopped to finish my smoke so they were a little ahead of me.

He eyed Nanoha and Alicia long and hard but he wasn't doing a uniform check and with no more than a pleasant greeting he let them pass. He watched them walk to the building as well, again having nothing to do with his teacherly duties.

"Testarossa-san do you just roll out of bed and come to school or do you make an effort to get your uniform to look like that?" He managed to take his eyes off of Nanoha's ass long enough to glance in my direction.

"It's a concerted effort of failure."

"Why can't you be more like your sister."

It's oddly humorous to say that about identical twins. It also irks me everyday that students, mostly girls, walk right pass this clod barely even wearing their uniform and yet I get singled out. Nanoha herself had multiple buttons undone to show off her cleavage and her skirt hiked up so it barely covered her backside; not that Carson didn't notice that thin piece of fabric barely covering that marvellous posterior.

It's not like I'm a total mess. My uniform is clean, though it might be a little wrinkly, and I shower every day. I just don't tuck in my shirt, leave my top buttons undone and never fix my tie. I bet if I hike my skirt up a bit he wouldn't even notice.

The bell would ring soon so I better hurry up and avoid any needless hassle.

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Nanoha POV:

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Meanwhile in the classroom:

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked.

"Of course." Though it felt like I was walking through water. As if I had weights strapped to my limbs and no one else did.

"I'm very worried about the math test next Wednesday. Have you started studying yet?"

The math test? Have I started studying for it? I studied for something last night with numbers… that must have been it. "Yes."

Alicia eyed me oddly. "Okay."

We walked into the classroom and parted. Alicia sat near the door at the back of the room and I sat near the window. The teacher's seating plan had all the well-behaved people mostly at the back, with the troublemakers at the front of the rows. It was hard to copy notes back here looking past all those heads. The delinquents at the front didn't even copy notes but they had the best view of the board. Life's unfair.

"You're eyes are all red."

I jumped back. Two crystal blue eyes were right in front of my own. Our noses so close they were almost touching.

"Are they." I took out my mirror. Mirrors are amazing. You can see things in mirrors that aren't real but is real since it's just light refracting… reflecting… refri… re..something. I always look so good in mirrors. It's a pity everything couldn't be mirrored.

My eyes were red and bloodshot probably from the smoke and all that coughing I did.

"Nanoha…?" Hayate poked me in the forehead.

"Fate-chan blew smoke in my face." I heard a rustling as Alicia swivelled in her chair and stared at me. Even if they didn't get along, Alicia still didn't like lies about her sister.

"Ohhh? I wonder why?" She smirked. "Alicia-chan, your hair is so shiny and scrumptious this fine morning. How doth thee get it to such magnificence?" She reached out her hands and dropped to one knee.

She swung around to face the other direction. "Do not let the green eyed monster tempt you so for your auburn locks rival my own! Now let us frolic to school with unparallel gaiety." Hayate pretended to skip off hand in hand with an imaginary being.

"We are so not like that…but wait a minute. How would you know anyway?" I've never seen Fate or Hayate speak a word to each other.

"I have my ways." She clasped her hands together and tried to look innocent.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Even with the teacher in the room the two girls in front of me were talking about something in a loud whisper. They kept glancing at me and saying something like they were having a conversation with me that I wasn't apart of. Then again I think my mouth moved so I may have talked back to them. I should pay attention and find out.

"Are you going to the party tonight?" The girl to my right asked.

"I don't think so. I still have a lot of studying left to do and then bible class." My lips moved so I guess I was having a conversation with them.

"Girls! You have physics so please take out your textbooks and start reading from page 263." The teacher went back to writing something, occasionally looking over his glasses at the now completely quiet room. Did the bell actually ring?

I took out my mp3 player and plopped my text onto the desk. He always let us listen to music while we were reading; something about minimizing distractions or some such.

The chapter was named "Free Falling Bodies" and that always made me giggle. Zombies skydiving out of a plane and going thump thump on the roof. Bodies falling to the ground like rain and squishing Fate as they ran around the track in gym class.

Their class was running to the beat of _In the Hall of the Mountain King (Techno Remix)_ that was playing on my mp3 player. Each step taken in sync with the music as they made their way around the track. Stopping briefly feet in midair when the beat slowed and speeding halfway around the track when it sped up. It was almost as if their running itself was producing the music.

There was a blonde

ponytail out their

swaying to the beat.

Big glorious breasts

Rising and falling

in motion to her

running. Probably

sweat drenched now.

Painted on spandex

shorts hugging her

toned…

"Nanoha!" I jumped. "You're supposed to be reading not watching the boys out there sweat." He glowered at me.

Oh yeah…there were boys out there too. That blonde ponytail just likes to catch my attention so I didn't notice the boys. Like a pony's tail swaying back and forth, begging you to ride it. Mmm…I wish I had a pony to ride….Crap.

Nyahaha…I wiped the sweat off my brow. Am I having weird thoughts about Fate again or am I just admiring the excellent shape Fate is in just like last time and how great she looks in her physical education clothes. If I were having bad thoughts about Fate the first thing I noticed about would be something perverted. What was the first thing I noticed about Fate today…that she was holding hands with Alicia! I didn't even notice that her buttons were half undone until I got closer.

"Eraser-chan are you convinced?"

"Sorry Nano-chan."

Mou! Eraser is always so accepting of my mistakes.

"Nanoha please try an answer question 45 on page 123." The teacher glared at me and I grudgingly stood. The skin on my face felt like it was going to melt off.

I stood and opened my book. "There's no question 45."

"On page 123."

"A."

"It's not a multiple choice question."

"..but you said question 4 and 5."

"Question 45 Nanoha! Are you okay? You look flustered and you're sweating."

"I'm fine. I have no idea how to do this question."

"What formula do you think you could use?'

"Umm C^2=a^2 +b^2…"

"Alicia, " he sighed, "help your friend out."

"The answer is 65 m/s."

"Excellent and what formula did you use?"

"Velocity equals velocity initial plus acceleration multiplied by time."

Ding Ding Ding!

I shoved my book in my desk and zipped my pencil case. At least that class went fast. I glanced out the window and Fate was laying face down outside. Ginga was prodding her with her foot but there was no response from the other girl.

"Nanoha-chan?" Alicia tapped me on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Are you okay…I mean am I okay…I mean yeah I think."

"I'm taking you to the nurses office." She grabbed my arm and yanked me out of my seat.

"No! I'm really okey dokey….Alicia…if a guy had a crush on another guy is that wrong?"

She narrowed her brow. "Of course."

Ugh! So blunt!

"Homosexuality is a sin and you'll go to hell and burn forever."

"…but…but what if they just think about it and don't act?"

"God knows your thoughts so you'll still be sizzling for eternity."

"…eternity?"

"**Eternity**."

I put my head on the desk. I'll have to kick the chair out from under her later…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

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Fate POV:

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Continuation of the last chapter. The track at school:

Even though it was early in the morning it was far to hot for running. Even worse, I didn't get much of a buzz from my precious drugs. There goes my coping mechanism. Friday is always the worse day of the week for me. Mondays seemed to come and go but Fridays last absolutely forever. You'd think that'd be a good thing but considering how utterly drained I am by the end of the week, it really isn't something I look forward to.

"Testarossa get up and go take a shower." A pair of bright white sneakers that obviously haven't been running in the dirt for the past half-hour appeared in front of my nose.

"No ma'am. Bury me here."

"Tes-ta-ros-sa," chills went down my spine. There was a dark aura coming from my much-esteemed Signum-sensei.

"Fine…" I trudged back into the gym. Everyone had showered quickly since they didn't want to waste their precious fifteen-minute break. I couldn't care less about the break. There wasn't enough time to do anything and I couldn't get far enough way from school grounds to smoke.

I undressed and stashed my stuff in the locker. It was nice that the showers had stalls and doors. Who needs all that added pressure of being naked in front of thirty judgemental bitches?

I locked my padlock and slipped the chain with the key on it around my neck. The teachers did a lot of bitching and moaning about using padlocks instead of the assigned combination locks but it was the only thing that kept Nanoha out. She had a unique ability; I swear was magic…slut magic, to figure out my combination no matter how well I tried to hide it.

I turned the tap and let the liquid bliss flow over me. The water, even though at its highest temperature barely made it pass lukewarm but it still felt amazing. It was nice too that I didn't have to worry about Nanoha doing something sinister. Hmm…that brings back memories. It was back when Nanoha had just moved back to this town and gym class had just ended…

_"Did you have to hit the new girl all those times in the face? You made her bleed." Ginja put her hand on my shoulder._

_ "The goal of dodge ball is to try and hit people with the ball." It makes it easier when they have a big fat head to aim at._

Nothing relieved frustration like wailing a ball at someone's face and knowledge that it's perfectly within the rules; even better still when a soccer ball gets accidentally intentionally mixed with the other balls. Some of the older soccer balls were almost identical in appearance. You could get quite a bit of power behind one of those things. Then there was that satisfying sound of rubber impacting skull.

_"She was on your team!" She glared at me. "What comes around goes around. Fate."_

I remember those words well and even at the time I thought they were inappropriate. Nanoha, even then, kept up this innocent good-natured façade but the moment we were alone, the demon's leathery wings sprouted from her back. At the time I assumed retaliation was the best way to get back at Nanaho but really the best thing to do was hide behind Alicia, if she was available, or curl in a ball and whimper. It'd be like going to war with another country and that country is Edward Gein, as soon as you enter you've already lost. No matter how good you thinks your troops will fare, he's going to do something so f^cked up you'll never sleep again.

It wasn't until the next day that I realized the error of my ways and the horror retaliatory action against Nanoha brings. I was sitting in health class when…

_I crossed my legs and uncrossed them again. I had a funny feeling in my crotch all morning but it was really starting to bother me. It felt like the detergent I used on my underwear was giving me a rash. The progenitor sometimes did laundry, if she felt like, it or there was literally nothing else for her to wear. It wasn't beyond her to use too much detergent or mix some kind of poison with the detergent in hopes of it cleaning better. I wish we still had a maid…_

_ "Sensei, can I use the washroom?" Other than the rustling of paper, the class was completely silent. Shignum-sensei ran a tight ship._

_"Testarossa-san, it's 'may I' not 'can I' use the washroom. 'can I' means that you might not be physically able to while 'may I' is asking permission."_

_ "Yeah, yeah, yeah. May I go take a dump?"_

I was so cute back then!

_With a chorus of laughter and Signum's eyes burning into me I went to the bathroom. My crotch area felt like a certain September day in London in 1666 only far more itchy. Hesitantly I went into a stall and closed the door…..there were little blisters down there and on the sides of my legs. Tiny watery painful blisters like you get from a bad sunburn only yellowish in colour and way more itchy and did I mention painful. How the f^ck did that get there?_

_ It was itching so bad and just the thought of popping those blisters made me cringe. Maybe…maybe if I take off my undies and let some air get at it. It looked like a rash I got at camp once from poison ivy…Oh Shit! I stripped off my undies and tossed them in the trash; I did not want that all over everything._

_ I was wrong. This was no London fire of 1666 this was the underside of the space shuttle during re-entry. _

_ I don't know if no undies felt better or worse. On one hand it was nice having a breeze up past my knees and on the other hand the fabric was relieving the itching somewhat. Not to mention now there was a good possibility that I might flash someone and they'd think I'd have some horrible disease. There was no way I could keep them on if they poison ivy on them._

_ Signum was still reading as I entered the class. As I walked past her the highlighter she was using fell off her desk and landed at my feet._

_ "Testarossa-san, would you please pick that up for me." Signum narrowed her eyes at me._

_ "No."_

_ "It's right in front of your feet. Pick it up." She propped her head on her elbows and tried to skewer me with her eyes._

_ "I refuse to bend over for you," I briefly looked down at the highlighter and back at Signum. "Other girls may eagerly assume the position, but it's against my principles as a proper young lady to prostate myself…"_

_ "It's prostrate." She said without moving._

_ "…prostrate myself before an authority figure."_

_ "If you are finished Testraossa-san. Please return to your seat." She pushed back her chair to stand and in the process sent a cascade of paper falling from her desk and pilling about my feet._

_ I stepped backwards grudgingly. Signum-sensei was at least a foot taller than me, and broader…and kinda intimidating. I couldn't help but think in a slightly different setting she pummel me with a broadsword._

_ Wack! I saw stars briefly. I found myself looking up at the ceiling. Ouch. The paper I had slipped on were flittering back to the floor. Somehow I had thrown them in the air when I fell._

_ "Fate-chan!" someone called out, probably my sister._

_ "Wow! The sound of her head hitting the floor made me sick. Now I'm nauseous. Ugh."_

_ "Sensei…are you okay your nose is bleeding?" There was some commotion as students rushed past me to their teachers aid and a flurry of feet went past my head. Not one bothered to look down; some even walking on my hair as they went past. "Did she kick you or something when she fell?"_

_ It was then that the bell decided to mercifully ring but not so mercifully for my pounding headache._

_ "Fate-chan," she ran her fingers through my hair. "Are you okay?"_

_ "I'm fine. Can't you tell?" Alicia had a look on her face like she was about to cry. _

_ I pulled myself to my feet. There was a pain chugging through my head like some kind of… railway of pain. I always tell Alicia she should wear a helmet because she's a little clumsy but maybe I should wear one. She's never creamed herself after slipping on a piece of paper._

_ "Testarossa-san." Signum was holding the bridge of her nose. There were handkerchiefs and blushing girls surrounding her and she pushed through them like a fat man to the free samples cart. "Lets step outside for a second."_

_ "…." Oh crap! She really is going to beat me to a fine red paste!_

_There was a sudden flurry of whispering. Girls erupted in KYAAAA!_

_ "Testarossa." She burned her eyes into me._

_ "I refuse."_

_ She took several steps closer, "If you wish we can do this the hard way in front of everyone or you can step outside."_

_ Whisper! Whisper! Whisper! KYAAAAAA! _

_ "…" I gingerly walked toward the door with Signum close behind. She closed the door as I stepped through. I walked toward the stairwell leading to the first floor…_

_ "Where are you going?"_

_ "You said…hmm..outside. Can I get a blindfold at least…or a last cigarette?"_

_ She ran her hand through her hair. "And what exactly were we to do outside."_

_ "Pummel me into giblets." I smiled brightly and batted my eyes up at her. My halo looked sort of crooked but maybe she won't be able to punch my cute innocent face. _

_ "I believe hitting your head on the floor as hard as you did is punishment enough." She sighed heavily. There was something about the way she sounded and her posture that made me think that she somehow regretted saying aloud that she didn't want to kill me. "Neither of us will be comfortable discussing what I'm about to speak of…"_

_ "Sex?"_

_ "Interrupt me again and I will guarantee your accident earlier will be the highlight of your day." She somehow managed to glare at me harder than she already was. "You need to Shamal-sensei to check you out."_

_ "Because I hit my head?"_

_ "You have sores on your…I saw them when you flashed me. You should…."_

_ "I'm sorry sensei, I didn't mean to flash you. Sorry to get your hopes up but it wasn't an invitation to sexual touching or any other raunchy stuff…_

_"Go."_

_ "HAI GOCHO!" I ran down the hall before she could add anything else. Students sometimes ended up with mysterious injuries around Signum and an unwillingness to describe what happened. Getting a boot surgically removed from your ass was not my idea of fun and standing in the nearly deserted hallway with Signum was a sure way to be on the receiving end of an injury you'll be unwilling to talk about later._

_ I threw open the door to the nurses office._

_ "Fate?" She peeked out from behind a curtain then disappeared again. "You know where the ice packs are…hold still!"_

_ "HAAAAAAAAAAA!" There was a high pitched scream from behind the curtain._

_ "Now you're done you big baby…aw shoot you passed out." Shamal walked out from behind the curtain, pulling off her gloves as she went. "What is it Fate?"_

_ "I have a poison ivy rash on my downstairs region. I think it got on my underwear somehow."_

_ She hustled me behind a curtain. "Hmmm. You've taken them off I hope. If there is another reason for the scratching I hope you'll tell me so I can help you. Anything you tell me in private is confidential. Like if you and your girlfriend are experimenting….or boyfriend….it's quite common for…"_

_ "That's not it."_

_ "Pubic lice are a common infection among teenagers and you can get it whether or not you use protection…and that's not to mention a wide variety of ailments that would involve burning in that region….._

_ "It's not an STD!"_

_ "…you may need a swab inserted into your urethra to test for certain STI's and it is a little uncomfortable…."_

That was such a super special memory and I treasure it daily…

I wonder what Nanoha would have done if I had an allergic reaction or something and died. "Here lies Fate Testarossa. Only with us for seventeen years, but what could you expect from her anyway?" My sister would have cried but I bet Nanoha would be sitting there pretending to cry and all the while trying not to laugh. I wonder if she gets a commission for offing people for Satan? Maybe it's the other way around. She'd probably put poison ivy in my casket so I'd itch for eternity; urushiol lasts a long time.

"That bitch! Laughing at my funeral. I'd haunt her so fricking hard! Not that lame "BOO!" stuff either. I'd go so Silent Hill 2 on her ass.

"Testarossa will you keep your nonsense to yourself," Signum sighed.

"HEY! You can't be in here!"

"If you are trying to infer that I am actually male….it is too bad they do not allow corporal punishment…or for that matter justifiable homicide."

"Stop looking at me like that!"

"I am not even looking in your…."

"Stop it!"

"Sigh…I came to check on your well being. Next time I will go to the lounge and have a cup of coffee and leave you to whatever possible fate befalls you." She closed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry Signum-sensei. I'm just being silly. I really enjoy your company and making you annoyed brings me joy."

"Testarossa, I have enough stress in my life without you adding to it. You should be very happy I am a very patient and stable individual who is dedicated to this institution and its students."

It was so reassuring the way she grimaced at me and folded her arms that I rushed out of there. It was hard to breathe.

* * *

Nanoha POV

* * *

Meanwhile back in the classroom:

"Nanoha-chan, lunch isn't for another little while."

Mmmm…the rice was especially good today. "I'm just a little hungry."

"If you're not careful you won't have anything left." She raised herself up a little to peak into my lunch container.

"You're right Alicia-chan. I should leave some for lunch." Those cherry tomatoes…mmm…I might sneak a few of those bad boys when class starts.

"We have to go and get ready for gym class. Signum sensei will be angry if we aren't ready when the bell rings." Alicia reached into her book bag and fished out her gym clothes.

Mmmm…cherry tomato bliss.

"Nanoha…?"

"What…?" Oh right we have PE now. I don't think I'm going to make it without my lunchbox. I'll be back soon lunchbox-chan….I love you.

I followed Alicia down the hall to the locker room. I really did not want to be late again. Signum didn't like me very much and she'd give extra push-ups to anyone who was so much as a second late…

Fate walked slowly out of the locker room looking over her shoulder as she did. Fate's shirt was unbuttoned and it clung to her like she hadn't dried herself well enough… and her black la…la..lacy bra was showing.

Mmmm.

"Fate? What's wrong?" Alicia ran up to her sister and immediately took out her brush.

"Nothing…errr…I just thought I'd be late for class so I hurried a little getting dressed."

My hand found its way to her soft supple bosom…

"Aarrg!" Fate screamed, tripped on her sister's leg and fell on her ass. For a second flashing me her black lacy pan…pan…ties. COMMITTING IMAGE TO MEMORY.

"Sis why is your shirt undone?"

"GIRLS! You better be primed and ready when the bell rings!" Signum yelled, glaring at me.

"Yes ma'am. Sorry sensei. My sister didn't look well and I was worried about her."

Signum smirked, "You're sister is fine….as fine as someone such as her can be anyway. Stop dawdling and get changed!"

Alicia and I exchanged glances briefly and then hurried for the locker room. It felt like I was walking through water again. Like one of those dreams where you try to run from the monster but your legs don't work right.

"Nanoha. Why are your eyes red?" Signum asked and suddenly there was an incredible crushing force on my shoulder and I found myself facing her.

"I…um….I."

"She's stoned out of her gourd Signum-chan!" Hayate skipped past me humming something that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"I…Fate blew smoke in my eyes during the break and… and my eyes are all sore and watery now."

"Is that right?" Signum glared at me her nails digging into my shoulder briefly. "Run along now while I have a word with Fate."

"Eeep…"

Hehe. I got Fate in trouble! I got Fate in trouble!

I stepped inside the door and then leaned my back against it so it opened just a crack so I could peep out. Fate's shoulders were slightly slumped, her hair sticking out at odd angles, and she had this….um….maybe…vulnerable look going on? That's just silly. How can a look be vulnerable?

I wonder why Fate looks like that? Signum-sensei was in the locker room with her so she couldn't have been doing something stupid…why was Signum-sensei in the locker room with such a delicious Fate?

Poke.

"Gaaah!" Two clear blue eyes were so close to my own our noses almost touched. "Hayate-chan what…."

"Nothing."

Alicia pulled Hayate away, "If you two are too touchy feely you'll go to hell."

So….so….so….so even if I were just touchy feely…but not too feely… with Fate I'm going to hell.

"Don't be silly Alicia! Hahaha. We're going to hell anyway! Right Nanoha?" There was a tingling feeling as Hayate's warm breath moved along my ear. That warmth somehow moved to my face as a tingly feeling travelled down my spine. "Hell is so nice and warm," she whispered then threw open the door and ran outside. Loud giggling following in her wake.

"Nanoha, would you like to come over after school?" Alicia beamed, completely nonplussed by Hayate's actions.

"Sure! I love to!" She always makes me something yummy.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

* * *

Nanoha POV:

* * *

Continuation from last chapter.

Ding Ding Ding. The final bell rang for the day.

"Signum-sensei is so mean." I finished the sentence I was writing in my notebook for English and tucked the book away in my bag. My whole body felt like rubber and it wasn't because of the daze I was in earlier, it was because Signum-sensei is a sadist who enjoys seeing me in pain.

"What did you do Nanoha-chan?" Alicia was already waiting to leave and waiting for me. She was sitting so perfectly straight with her hands clasped in her lap she almost looked like a doll. Her blonde hair was so silky smooth and fine, the way it billowed down her shoulders and back that made her look unreal; as if no person could possibly look that good.

"I don't know. Maybe because I was slightly late going out on the field." I couldn't get the zipper in my bag to close completely. My hands would not allow it. What little dexterity I had left was now gone completely after writing notes for the past two hours.

"Maybe it's because Signum-sensei knew you lied about Fate-chan blowing smoke in your face." Alicia closed my bag for me and sat it on my desk. "Would you like me to take it for you?"

"It's heavy and this incredible soreness is my fault. I'll take it Alicia. Thank you for asking." I'm willing to bet it's Fate's fault for Signum's temper this afternoon.

"Oh, shall we go Nanoha-chan? I have ever so much to do and so very little time. Mayhap we stop at the grocery store on the way home…" Hayate was standing there with a dreamy look on her face and imitating Alicia's tone and perfectly straight posture.

"Hayate, what are you doing?"

"I think it was a pretty good impression." She stopped for a second, clasped her hands in front of her, and looked up through her bangs at Alicia, "I'm not making fun of you Alicia I'm just playing around."

"I don't think I've ever used the word 'mayhap' before." She placed a perfectly manicured finger to her lips.

"Hehehe. It looks natural for Alicia to talk like that but Nanoha…hahaha…it doesn't suit you."

"I'm a proper young lady!"

Hayate leaned in close and for the second time today a shiver went up my spine as I felt her hot breath on my ear and neck, "What colour underwear was Fate wearing today?" she whispered.

Fate was wearing those incredible black lacey "come and get some" panties…and equally appetizing bra.

"See! You just pictured what she was wearing in your head didn't you!" Hayate poked me with her finger. "Alicia, what colour underwear was Fate wearing today?"

"I'd assume black. She likes black things…but I've no idea if that is true or not because I did not see what she was wearing."

Hayate turned to me with half-lidded eyes and a small smile, "Fine young ladies aren't perverts."

I suddenly felt multiple sets of eyes on me from around the classroom from those had not yet left. "Whaa…whaaa?"

"They also don't let their mouths hang open…hahahaha." She hugged Alicia from behind and snuggled her face into her. "Alicia-chan is so sweet she dissolves in the rain."

"I…I dissolve in the rain too. I'm not a pervert!" I might have said the last bit a tad too loud…

"Lots of stuff dissolves in water…like salt or all kinds of other nasty stuff. Alicia is sugar…I wonder if dog poo dissolves in the rain. I know it gets all mushy but does it dissolve?"

"Hayate, are you trying to pick a fight." Hayate is and will forever be a shit disturber but…but why'd she turn on me. Whimper. It was like having the tiny yappy dog next door chew on your ankles.

"Alicia-chan do you have any plans for this evening?" She turned on her heel and acted as if nothing happened.

"My mother is leaving for the weekend so I'm going to cook something yummy for Fate and myself." Alicia smiled brightly and seemed to glow for a brief second.

"Dammit. I wish I had a sister to make me cookies. All I got are Signum and Shamal and we don't let Shamal in the kitchen anymore….not after last time. Oh and Vita, but she can't see over the counter."

"What about Signum-sensei? She's so levelheaded and patient. She would make a wonderful cook."

"She has no interest and never learned…..

Hayate and Alicia continued to ramble on. What's so interesting about cooking? As long as it's edible and contains all the food groups, what more is there to say? It's not like discussing something deep and thought provoking like the teachings of the bible, or philosophy, or discussing literature….

There were groups of cheerleaders milling about below the classroom window. Nice shapely legs in those short skirts…maybe I should have been a cheerleader….or forced Fate to be one. Wiggle wiggle wiggle went the cheerleader's bum. This would be fantastic if it were earlier and I was still stoned….I mean under the influence of whatever it was that Fate poisoned me with. I could turn on some music with a beat and watch the most glorious….Crap! I'm thinking about girls again.

Earlier when I was umm…intoxicated. I really liked looking at girls and Fate was especially delicious. My lunchbox was more delicious too now that I think about it.

"Nanoha-chan would you still like to come over?"

"Alicia…" How I do I ask this? "Do you remember in our health class a little while ago when we were discussing drugs and sensei said drugs bring out a person's true personality?"

"I do not think that's quite right. Sensei was speaking about alcohol and she said alcohol lowered your inhibitions so I suppose that is sort of like someone's true personality."

"What about other drugs?"

"Remember that video of that man who had taken methamphetamines? He was screaming so much it was scary. I don't know what that would have to do with that poor man's personality." She paused for a second and smiled at me. 'Why don't you ask Fate-chan?"

Hehe. Alicia would be the last person you asked these kinds of questions to now that I think about it. "Yeah, Fate's used a lot of drugs…"

"No silly. She's a lot smarter than I am so she'd definitely be able to answer tough questions about true personality like that."

I let the topic drop. There was no way I would be able to have a conversation with Fate like that; there would be bloodshed. Alicia also liked to worry and I didn't want her worrying about me.

We slipped out of the school building without incident. Boys liked to try and chat us up on Friday evenings like today and especially if we were by ourselves and not in the stream of people leaving the building. Today there were a bunch of boys playing basketball but no one came to harass us.

Boys have bums too. Maybe if I tried looking at boys harder I wouldn't be attracted to girls…I mean I wouldn't sometimes think about girls in a questionable way. Boys have toned bodies and some of them are really nice. They even smell good occasionally.

The guy with the track pants has a nice body. He's muscular, but not too muscular, and tall enough that we'd look nice as a couple.

I think it was Fate's fault anyway. If we weren't so close before I left I would never have paid attention to her when I came back. Thinking about her is what got me thinking about girls anyway. Okay self, we only think about, or look at, boys from now on and it will go away. No ice cream for a week every time I look at girls.

"Come along Nanoha-chan!" I jumped as Alicia's mother's voice penetrated the silence. She waved at me from her car as Alicia got in the passenger side.

I jogged the short distance to the car and jumped into the luxury sedan. I loved this car. The entire inside was made of leather and they probably would have made the outside leather to if they could have gotten away with it. It was so comfortable.

"It's such a beautiful day mother you didn't need to give me a ride the short distance home."

"I'll be leaving shortly for my trip and I was running errands dear. What kind of mother would I be if I let you walk home in this heat when I could so easily drive you?"

Being in this car with Precia and Alicia was so refreshing. It was nice to be amongst two people who were so genuinely good, kind, and unshakably optimistic. It was almost as if their personalities alone were cooling the car and not the air conditioning. Comparing them to my parents and siblings was like chalk and cheese.

"Mom, what about Fate-chan?" Alicia asked as Precia pulled away from the curve.

"She wasn't ready dear. It's a nice day and it's not too far of a walk."

In the side mirror a familiar shape came into view. Turning to look out the back window I could see Fate talking to Mr. Carson. He was glowing red in the face -for some reason- and yelling at Fate. Fate, disinterested in Mr. Carson's yelling, turned briefly in our direction and watched us leave the parking lot and then back to the tirade.

"What plans do you two little troublemakers have for tonight?"

"We are going to cook something and Nanoha has her bible class later."

"Why aren't you in a bible class? You've always like going to church with me."

"Fate said that…"

"NANOHA. After your bible class why don't you sleep over and keep my lovely daughter company."

"Sure. That sounds fun. I haven't slept at your house since I was in elementary school." Mmmm…Fate will be sleeping close by…..I hope I didn't just say that out loud.

"Precia-san, could you drop me off. I'd like to change out of my uniform since I'll be helping Alicia-chan cook." Alicia's smile was already off her face when she looked back at me questioning me with her eyes. "Don't worry Alicia-chan. I'll only be a couple of minutes." Her smile perked up a little bit.

"Sure dear. I could wait if you like?"

"Oh no. I don't want to make you wait."

Precia brought the car to a halt and I jumped out before she talked me into waiting. I gave a little wave and waited for them to drive off. Oh God above. Hear my prayer. Let this go well. I trudged up the walkway to my house.

Here I go. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. It creaked open to reveal a clear run up the stairs. I tip toed inside carefully. This was an older house and there were many creaks from the floorboards. The stairs in particular was a minefield. Maybe if I...

"Your father works hard all day, as do I, and you do not even think to greet him when you came home. The person who puts food on your plate and…"

"I'm back dad!" I peaked into the living room and waved. Dad lowered his paper and nodded. "Why aren't you guys at work?"

"You were sneaking around so you know very well we were home….I want to see your chemistry test." She frowned at me angrily. "Don't think that I didn't know you got it back."

I don't know what will be worse; their reaction to this test score or if I had gotten this uniform dirty. I rummaged around in my bag and with a fleeting look at my grade, handed it over to her. There was a tightening feeling around my lungs as mom's hand grasped the paper.

"Hmm…so the mean was 55 percent and you managed a 90? If you could have gotten a 100 that would have been nearly double the mean. What was the high mark?"

"95."

"What did the Testarossa girls get?"

"95 and 58."

"So that scum passed did she?" She tapped her chin. "I don't know what to say that I haven't already said a million times. If you can't even get the highest marks in a high school class of 25 what are you going to do in college? In college with this kind of effort you'd be lucky to pass let alone stand out!"

"Yes mom. I've heard this a million times before. Alicia is very smart. If she weren't in my class I'd be getting the highest marks."

Her hand shot out grabbing my cheek. "There will always be someone like that! If you don't have the commitment to overcome that obstacle you might as well quit school now and start paying back all the money we're spending on you."

"Yusss mom."

"Where were you sneaking off to?" Her grip did not lessen.

"I wusss going to…to Hayate's. She invited me over to work on homework."

"Hayate? I don't like the way those two teachers she lives with carry-on, she snarled, her eyes becoming cold black orbs. "There is something very wrong with two grown women living together like that. No child of mine will end up like that or, so help me God, I will do something about it with my own two hands."

"Yuss…yuss…mom. May I go? She'll…she'll be waiting for me." The chances of me making it out of this house were about the same as being hit by lightening while winning the lottery if I said I was going to Alicia's.

"Don't eat too much. With the way you put on weight we'll have to buy you **another **new uniform**."**

"Yes mom." I clasped my hands together to stop the trembling. Does this ever get easier?

* * *

Later that evening at the Testarossa residence:

"Nanoha. Hahahah!" Alicia put her bowl down and reached for the dishcloth. "How in the world did you get covered in flour. Hehehe." She gently wiped my face and neck.

"I dropped the flour bag…."

"On your head? Hehehe." She wiped a tear away from her eye.

Precia doesn't cook and Alicia is so good she could have her own cooking show. She even cleaned up my messes while I was making them. At the moment she had taken to moping an already clean floor.

Ding! Alicia jumped from fright but no sooner had she moved than the smile returned to her face and dove in the oven.

"These look really yummy." Alicia nibbled a cookie. Those things must be 300 degrees and she's nibbling them! "Why don't you take some up to Fate while I clean up here a little more."

"Alicia….you could perform surgery anywhere in this kitchen."

"It'll only be a minute and then I'll be done."

She'll be someone's perfect housewife someday. Maybe I'll be some **GUY's** perfect wife someday. Do all the wifey stuff like…like kiss him and have…have…have his babies.

It wasn't too long ago that I walked up these stairs to get Fate to go outside and play with me. I remember bringing her cookies one time too! Linith helped us bake them and then we sat at Fate's kotatsu and ate them while we drew pictures with Alicia's big box of crayons.

I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Music was emanating from her room so maybe she didn't hear me. I opened the door gently and knocked again while doing so.

"Fate…?"

Fate's room had changed. Back then it seemed like her room was as big as the school gym. We run and play for hours at a time until we were hungry and then Linith would bring us something to eat and then we run and play some more. Now, it seemed so small and dark. There was clothes thrown around that Linith would never have allowed. The walls were covered in ugly posters from stupid bands I've never heard of.

That wasn't counting the beers cans on the floor and cluttering the kotatsu. Those were definitely not there when I was younger…and Fate sat resting her back against the bed with the kotatsu in front of her. She was wearing a black v-neck t-shirt and showing very nice cleava….stuff I don't look at anymore…also black shapely jeans.

She was holding her drink at an angle and watching the drops slide down the side of the glass and onto the floor.

Is she always so sad?

* * *

Fate POV

* * *

The music was soothing after another long week of early mornings and late nights. The low rumble of the music was taking all my stress away….and then I saw a face watching me intently from the dark recess of the hallway.

She slowly made her way into the room and into the light. She briefly glanced around and then let her eyes fall back on me. If I were unfamiliar with her I might think she were the perfect housewife. She was wearing an apron, playfully covered in flour, and wearing a cute little kitty oven mitt on her left hand. Oh and she was bringing freshly baked cookies that smelled absolutely f^cking delicious. Even when you got to her face you just see a pleasant looking girl and you might even say was pretty. A stranger would think there was nothing wrong with the scene…..

BUT they'd be wrong. The trait that turned her from a perfect housewife was puppy murderer eyes. Eyes so intense they'd set lesser beings on fire…I think I might of said something like that before. These were the eyes of someone who'd occupy a high security prison in the future and would scare the living hell out of women who scared the living hell out of just about anyone else.

"Let me guess…A cookie in exchange for my soul." Didn't someone say once to beware of a devil baring gifts?

"Eat them. You'll like it." She took a few steps towards me. My stress was rising again and that carefree nice atmosphere of my sanitarium was getting thick.

"I'm not eating anything that you even glanced in the general direction of." I took a taste of my drink- lukewarm now and far too strong- making sure to keep my eyes on her the whole time.

"Eat it or I'll cram it in." She took a few more steps forward. She was within striking distance now….I could feel my heart speeding up, my face flushing….she'd walk right through this kotatsu like it wasn't even there.

"You won't make me eat it."

"Who said I would cram it in your mouth?" She moved a couple of empties out of the way and sat the tray down on the kotatsu.

"Fate-chan….eat the f^king cookies." She sat directly across from me and I quickly withdrew my legs less I lose them.

Bang! The door to balcony flew open and the girls starting piling in. Bright smiles and bright eyes to push back the dark cloud Nanoha had dragged with her into my abode.

"Hahahah!" Hayate held her stomach and wobbled across the room. "Teana tried to scare a crow with your slingshot or maybe it was a raven…and hahaha….she….hahaha….she killed Nevermore…haha….haha…can't breathe….we named it Nevermore….and she killed it." She buried her face in Fate's lap still giggling away.

"Nanoha-sempai?" Why are you here? Teana and Subaru walked into the room bleary eyed from the light and also more than a little affected by what they had imbibed.

"Quoth the Raven….Nevermore. Hahahahahahahaha!"

Subaru reached for a cookie, "how much ground up glass are in these?" I patted the shaking Hayate on the head as the girl tried, in vain, to suppress her laughter.

"Will it do anything…Nevermore! Hehehe."

"No more glass than usual." Despite the others in the room, she wasn't looking at any of them.

"Subaru, I wouldn't eat that." I moved Subaru's hand away from the tray.

"Fate….hehehe….I'll stop….I'll stop." Hayate balled her fists and wiped the tears from her eyes. "What do you think is in the cookies? I hear some girls put fingernail clipping or pubic hair…or spit….or"

Teana's eye twitched. "Please stop."

"Nanoha and her Trojan horse cookies…oh oh and she wants to penetrate you too so she's just like a Trojan." Hayate beamed up at me and then rolled out of my embrace; nimble as a monkey.

"Doing things with girls is wrong." There wasn't even an ounce of emotion in her face.

Hayate's smile flicked on like a 100-watt light bulb in a bleak black basement. I knew what she was thinking…perhaps the only time since I met her.

I crawled towards her, she imitating me, crept forward as well. "Oh Hayate….I've wanted to say this for so long but the words would never come….Hayate…I…" We crept ever closer to each other.

"Fate…there's no need for words…I feel the same way…"

I touched my lips to hers. Such soft warm lips…and yummy cherry lip gloss…I deepened the kiss a little so it didn't look fake but Hayate hesitated if for a brief second. That was strange….this was a girl who could grab a random strangers boobs and have them weak in the knees within seconds; if she didn't get slapped that is.

Then I felt it…it was a little lick at first then…Hayate pushed forward while grabbing the back of my head….

"Blaggh! Hayate! There was no tongue involved in our agreement. None! This was not jam your tongue in Fate's face day! I feel so defiled." Dammit. I got conned.

"You big baby. It's not like that was your first kiss."

"It was so my first kiss…you…..you first kiss stealer. Now no one will want to marry me. Now…now I'll can never meet the man of my dreams"

"You're laying it on a bit strong there." Teana briefly looked away from the manga she was reading.

There was movement out of the corner of my eye and a warm weight collided with me knocking me onto my back. My eyes had been on Nanoha less my orifices be threatened by one of these murderous cookies…I didn't expect cherry lip glossed coated lips to impact my own again so soon or so forcefully.

She didn't have any mercy has she roughly pawed me over using her weight to pin me to the floor. I couldn't help but see myself from outside my body. Teana 's cheeks turning rosy red as she watched Hayate rounding second base or Subaru wide eyed and stiff as a board…..or Nanoha's smile slip from her face for the briefest of seconds.

Hayate slid off of me and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "You should…. stop smoking. You taste…. like an ashtray," she panted.

"Hey hey hey hey…hey hey. I didn't ask for your unwanted sexual attention!"

"Hehe…'didn't ask for unwanted sexual attention' isn't that a double negative? Hayate smiled leaning in close to me again.

Smack! "That's not a double negative." Teana whacked Hayate on the head.

My room door burst open and was instantly filled with the smells from the kitchen below once again. Alicia was carrying hors d'oeuvre. She twirled into the room filling it with rainbows and sunhine instantly. Her aura oblitterating the bleakness.

"You didn't eat the delicious cookies?"

"The devil baked them."

"No silly. She never touched them."

She plopped down between Hayate and I; Hayate giving a startled yelp as her hand was crushed with Alicia's butt.

"Alicia…you sat on Hayate!"

"Then she shouldn't have been there." She cuddled into me; nestling her head into the crook of my neck. "Oh my. What are these red marks on your neck Fate-chan…and what's this smudged on your lips."

"It's nothing."

Subaru jumped up and stuffed a cookie into her mouth. "This blunt has been burning a hole in my pocket for like…ten…fifteen minutes now. I wanna smoke it!" Subaru stuffed another whole cookie in her mouth. She looked at me wide eyed…well has wide eyed as she could after smoking half a gram…her lip quivering.

"Nanoha! You should," she turned her glare on Subaru, "smoke…it…with….us." Her voice trailed off.

Nanoha just sat there as the blunt was lit and passed around. Rigid as a statue rooted to the spot she didn't move a muscle. I'd wonder how she breathed but that's a dumb question. It's like asking why radiation doesn't breath or fire…poisionious gas doesn't breathe. Just a burning ember of pain and suffering sitting in the middle of my floor.

"I have to go." Nanoha walked out of the room closing the door quietly behind her.

I'd figure she flip the table and slam the door…maybe catch the table on fire then flip it or maybe she's waiting to flip the house once she's outside.

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All reviews are appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

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Nanoha POV:

* * *

A hour later (from last chapter) at the local church:

The church was cold. The pews were hard. The air was dusty. It was the usual bible class. Well not quite the usual since the priest was reading some passage and I forget where and what it was from. It wasn't very interesting. He liked to stand at the pulpit and treat the class like a regular sermon on many days.

This was such a terrible night so far and it wasn't even 10:00pm yet.

I slouched a little in my seat and then sat back up straight. Father Jail liked to clout you on the head for not paying attention so I had to at least look like I was paying attention. I suppose if Alicia were here she be hanging on his every word...I guess that's why I didn't get the 95.

I scratched my neck. Then my back started up. Then my shoulder. Then my scalp. I don't think I washed the flour off of myself good enough but then with the way mom was yelling...she was so mad….

_I was shivering as I opened the door to my house. It was cold outside even though it was so warm earlier. I rushed up to my room for a sweater..._

_"Nanoha! Do you realize what time it is?" Mom was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking annoyed._

_"It's about 8:00." I wrapped my arms around myself. It's so cold!_

_"You should have been home an hour ago to get ready for bible class."_

_"It doesn't start until 8:30. I have plenty of time." _

_"What's in your hair?" Mother took a few steps towards me and I instinctively took a few steps further up the stairs._

_She motioned with her finger for me to come closer and my body moved of its own will until I was within arms reach. "Nanoha you need to take a shower you have something caked in your hair."_

_"It's flour from…baking with AlicHayate. Hayate decided to bake some things…and I helped out."_

_She was staring at me now like I had three heads. She was trying to extract information by burrowing her very scary eyes sheer through to my brain and take it by force._

_"Were the women she lives with there?" She furrowed her brow, tapping a finger against the banister of the stairs._

_"They were out…that's why Hayate wanted to try making something….she's a good cook." I hate lying but the alternative is….probably death._

_Her glare softened somewhat. "Better hurry now and take a shower or you'll…" She walked past me on the stairs and then swung around and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Don't think I don't know what that smell is!"_

_"Www…what?"_

_"Why do you smell like drugs?" _

_I couldn't breathe…I couldn't think…_

_"Nanoha!" She shook me then dragged me toward the living room._

_"Shiro! Your daughter has been taking drugs." She flung me in his general direction and I had to grab the couch to stop from falling over it._

_"Honey calm down. Maybe she was near someone who was smoking it." He put down the remote and muted the television._

_"You know damned well she wasn't! Were you in a car with someone?"_

_"No…" Mom had quite a hatred for the teens driving around our neighbourhood so it was a doubly loaded question. She'd probably kill me on the spot if she thought I was driving around in cars with boys._

_"THEN HOW DO YOU SMELL LIKE IT!"_

I don't remember very well how I explained, since I was crying and mom was yelling…it think it had something to do with Fate…I'm almost positive I mentioned her.

"Nanoha is there something bothering you?" Jail turned his steely eyes on me.

"No." Eep!

"Then quit squirming and pay attention to the word of God."

The others in the class were glaring at me now, though I didn't dare turn to look. It's so hard to fake paying attention without actually paying attention, which I don't want to do. I hate having the bible read to me, especially in Jail's voice, I much rather just sit and read it on my own. Analysis and discussion I like but not having Bible read to me. I can read it myself and it's not like he's explaining anything.

It seems weird that the only reason I can have a sleepover with her is because I said Signum-sensei and Shamal-sensei aren't home…I wonder what they say if I said I was going to Alicia's...and that her mom wasn't home? Mom doesn't like Alicia but she likes Fate even less. Maybe it runs in our family or something, though I like Alicia well enough. I don't know how I was allowed to go over to their house and play when I was younger; I can't even go for a run in that direction or mom gets mad….

Jail was eyeing me again but he then closed his book and smiled. "That's it for tonight. Now go home and get to bed."

Yeah…Like I'm going to bed at 10:00 on a weekend.

I couldn't help but look at my watch as I stood and said "thank you" like a good little student and immediately went to grab my coat before someone tried to start a conversation with me.

They were all crowding around Jail and asking him questions. Innocent little faces beaming up at him. It's not like I didn't like them, since they were always nice to me, but I can't say I enjoyed conversations with them...especially the girl with the twin tails and glasses...she seemed evil. Her name started with a Q...something like Quatre...Quatros...I don't know but I better get out of here...

"Nanoha wait for a second." Jail politely pushed his way through the girls around him.

"Yes father?" I smiled sweetly.

"You seemed bothered tonight. Is something wrong?"

"I'm just a little tired."

"I can make time to speak with me if you like or there's always confession tomorrow night."

Telling him about anything was the last thing I wanted to do. He told my mom everything I said in confession when I was younger. "Thank you, but like I said, I'm just a little tired after this long week and I just want to go home and sleep."

"Have a good night then and I'll see you on Sunday."

"Yes father." I walked as quickly as I could out of the church and into the street. It'd take me less than ten minutes to make it back to Fate's...I mean Alicia's.

It's not like they want me there though...and they're all drunk too and stoned. Maybe me and Alicia can watch a movie together...or I can push Fate down a flight of stairs. Now that would be entertaining.

"Brrrr." I wish I brought a warmer jacket but I don't want to go home and get one because mom will be ...mom, and she was already mad when I left. If only I didn't have to take the long way to Alicia's so that I won't have to pass my house.

"Nanoha!"

I jumped and spun around to see a blue car of some sort idling by the road. "Yes?"

"Where are you headed? Do you need a lift?" Ginga yelled at me.

"Umm sure." I hesitantly crossed the road. "I'm going to Alicia's."

"Hoho. Hurry up and jump in."

I did as was told and ran to the other side of the car and hopped into the passenger's side._ Warmth at last!_

"I didn't expect to see a good little girl, like you, going there." She smirked and put the car into drive.

"Alicia invited me."

"There will be boys there. You better watch out."

"I can take care of myself."

Maybe it was my tone but she didn't say anything else and just kept driving. It thankfully didn't take very long for us to get to our destination. Crap! I forgot to go to my house and get my textbooks...and I'm riding around in a car. I'm really tempting Fate...I mean fate here.

I opened the door and immediately began to shiver again. I could already hear the music emanating from the house. I followed Ginga up to the door and she knocked hard and then rang the doorbell.

Ginga sighed.

"The back door is probably unlocked."

"How do you know that?" She raised her eyebrow with a look on her face like I had just punted a puppy into the next yard over.

The door swung open and there stood quite a nice sight...it was just stupid Fate with a stupid look on her stupid face.

"No dogs allowed." Fate whipped the door closed.

* * *

Fate POV

* * *

Two seconds later inside the Testarossa residence:

Crack!

I found myself on my back staring up at the ceiling. A warm sensation was running down my upper lip and then I tasted the oh so familiar iron-rich taste of my own blood...I can't say I've tasted anyone else's blood so that's a pretty dumb comment.

"Arg!" Pain penetrated through my head like a bullet train and I squeezed my hands against my head to try to keep all the pieces together. I propped myself up on one elbow...

"Lets go to the bathroom." Ginga gently pulled me to my feet and guided me down the hall.

"Remember when I told you that you shouldn't pick on her?" She pulled me inside the room and closed the door.

"...ARG!" I peeped out through the eye that wasn't caked in blood and turned toward the mirror...There was a vertical line down the side of my face about a millimetre away from my nose and running from my eyebrow all the way to my lower lip. "What...what exactly happened?"

Ginga took some bandages out of the first aid kid and sat it alongside the hydrogen peroxide she had already placed by the sink. "Nanoha kicked the door and you must have caught the edge of it."

"It looks like I was in a knife fight...I'm almost hare lipped now!...Look! I can move this part...and this part in different directions...hehehe …OW…..heee…OW...I look so stupid!"

"Hold still..."

The smell of hydrogen peroxide fumes wafted up my nose. "OH F^CK NO! I rather my face rot off than you sticking that f^cking acid in there."

"It's not an acid...I don't think...what makes it an acid again? The one that gives H+ or the one that takes it?" She put the cloth down and took another one out and rinsed it with water.

"...I'm the dumb twin remember...so one's the uke and one's the seme?"

"Let me clean you up." Ginga grabbed my arm and pushed me back toward the sink.

"No way...this gives me street cred."

"You got beat up by Nanoha! That doesn't give you cred for nothing...though she scared me half to death when she kicked the door like that." I finally let her dab away at my face with the wet cloth. It was better that she did it, with how drunk I am, I'd probably make it way worse.

She placed a face cloth in my hand. "Hold this to you lip. It won't stop bleeding."

"I have a lighter...I could cauterize it."

"What? What would a lighter do?" She leaned back and gave me a questioning look.

"If something is bleeding, you burn it, and then it stops...I see it in movies all the time."

"If you're dumb enough to burn your face like that I'm going to go ahead and let you do it." She moved back to the sink and wiped up the smeared blood that must have been on my hands. "You are so freaking dumb," She muttered.

"It's one of my charm points." I poked her in the chest.

"Oh yes," she deadpanned, "you're so dumb it just makes me want to screw you right here."

"Hehehe...got some equipment down there I don't know about?" I pulled her over to me and deftly unbuttoned her jeans. Her breath seemed to catch in her lungs as I slid a hand under the waist band of her underwear.

She pulled out of my grasp and turned around to face me. "You're not my type...go hit on Teana or Hayate...don't touch my sister or I'll cut it off."

I have no idea what she would cut off but that glare in her eye made me fear for my genitalia all the same. If Nanoha were to make the same threat I don't think I'd seriously leave the country. Safest place would probably be the moon...or maybe Saskatchewan since it's so flat I could see her coming a mile away. "I'm sorry Ginga but you are very cute."

She shyly turned her back to me. "...Thanks...when did you undo my jeans? Christ Fate! How come every time you're near me I end up being partially undressed?"

"You like my attention." I checked the mirror again and the blood had finally stopped oozing out of my lip. It will be a while before that sucker healed or my brow for that matter.

"You're like a big teddy bear and you smell nice...don't let that go to your head." She lightly punched me in the solar plexus and stormed out of the room.

It was nice teasing someone who wasn't physically violent. I washed away the blood from my teeth and walked back out in the hallway. I hope Alicia was keeping things under control especially now that Nanoha was here and threatened the structural well being off the house.

Ding! Ding! Ding! I walked towards the front entrance and stopped several feet from the door and cautiously crept towards it less it swing open and give me a symmetrical wound. I turned the knob and opened the door...ahhh f^ck...

"Testarossa-san..." She glared at me.

"Yes honoured Signum-sensei?"

"Ensure Hayate returns in one piece tomorrow or I shall make your life very unpleasant."

"Yes ma'am."

"This is for Hayate." She handed me a bookbag. "...what happened to your face?"

"Nanoha assaulted me."

She pressed her hand against her face and sighed. "You two have to work out your issues before she kills you."

"Yes ma'am."

She sighed again. "Don't get too drunk...and if there is any trouble please contact me." She turned back toward the gate. There were too many cars for her to park close by so undoubtedly she had a bit of a walk ahead of her.

"I love you Signum!" I couldn't help but bellow out.

She stopped mid-step and wrung her fists; I could tell she scrunched her eyes closed even if I couldn't see her face. "I wish you wouldn't say things that could be misunderstood." She didn't turn around and kept on walking.

If all parents...parental figures could be as awesome as her everything would be all right. Plus she probably break your legs if you were bad enough...but break them with love.

I closed the door behind me...I wonder what Hayate has in here...condoms...condoms...birth control...tampons...flavoured condoms...pajamas...tooth brush...dental dam...Guide to Sexually Transmitted Infections...gum...lube and...condoms. I'm guessing Shamal may have packed this bag.

The front hall was vacant other than a few passed out people towards the living room and I could see forms moving around in the darkened space. The music was blasting in there. Upstairs I could vaguely hear squeaking but it was either mom's bed or the spare room since I had made sure to lock our rooms. The last time we had a party I passed out somewhere with my room unguarded and I remember the next morning being quite happy to find my bed immaculately made...but things were not as they seemed and things lurked beneath the surface that were very icky, for upon climbing beneath the covers I did find something slimy and made of latex that may or may not have stuck to my bare leg and cause me to contemplate amputation of the affected limb.

I took a life lesson from that. Just because things look nice and proper from the outside there could be brain altering horrible filth underneath...just like Nanoha.

Hayate's distinctive laugh rang out through the house from the kitchen. I might as well give Hayate her big bag o'sex stuff.

In the kitchen, there were a bunch of people drinking and just hanging out. Most likely refugees from the mini rave in the living room. Hayate was seated at our table with three guys...naked guys...blushing and covering their junk. Ugh...We need new chairs now.

"Fate-chan! Join us. We're going to play truth or dare!" She waved at me from across the room as the guys gathered up their clothes and scurried away. "You spoil sports!"

"This is for you." I dropped the bag by Hayate's chair.

"Hehehehe...I love Shamal's goody bags." She rummaged through the things. "Cool! Flavoured condoms...I have no use for."

"Why don't you find Chrono and give him the thrill of a lifetime." I grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat at the one chair naked male ass had not touched.

"I'm gonna go throw up in your bed later as a present for putting that image in my head."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

She glared at me, through half closed thoroughly bloodshot eyes, and then started collecting the playing cards from around the table. She skilfully shuffled the cards and cut the deck. "We need more people to play our game."

There were quite a few people around the kitchen that I only barely knew the name of. If we were going to play, I hope it is with people I know. I took a long drink of my beer. Yuck. Why does beer taste so gross? People have been drinking this sh*t for thousands of years and it still tastes like piss water. It's supposed to be an acquired taste but why does that make it so special? You'd think beer should taste like Jesus himself was pissing in your mouth with the amount of time and effort that goes into this sh*t...but no, it tastes like some Latino hobo named Jesus pissed in my mouth.

"Fate-chan? Pay attention to the rules!" Hayate punched me in the arm.

Looking up I found Ginga shyly looking at me along with an equally shy blonde haired guy with glasses sitting to her right...Yuuno I think.

"Rule number one: leave this table for any reason and you must take a shot of this." Hayate placed a bottle of amber coloured rum on the table. "It is 75% alcohol and wrung from the diseased hides of the downtrodden. It's existence is misery and so shall be yours if you imbibe it!"

I uncapped the bottle and took a swig. "It's not that bad." Burned a bit...okay, maybe a whole lot.

"Keep in mind my accomplice has a tongue like a threadbare hooker and the esophagus of a seasoned alcoholic." She kicked me under the table. "Rule number two: everyone takes two cards and the person with the highest cards can truth, dare, or promise to repeat to a person with a card lower than their own. If you refuse then take a drink."

"That's more than one rule." I moved my leg just in time to avoid Hayate's foot.

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Nanoha POV

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Meanwhile in the basement:

Alicia was talking sweetly to a bunch of people who I couldn't even guess the names of. It was drowning out our movie. They were very drunk and I don't know how Alicia was putting up with talking to such morons.

I really wished that they hadn't seen me open the door when I went for snacks. It was nice now here with just Alicia. It brought back good memories of playing down here in the summer since it was so cool in the basement when it was too hot and humid to play outside. We used to make forts out of the chair cushions. Fate would try and make a tall tower and it always fall down and bury us or Alicia would speed in on her pedal car and knock everything down...I wish I could go back in time.

Alicia was even sipping on a wine cooler or something green in a bottle. I reached for the last of the chips out of our bowl. Grrrr…the drunks ate them all.

I grudgingly got to my feet and walked up the stairs to the first floor and slowly opened the door and slipped out. The last thing I wanted was to walk down there and find two people...you know...making love.

I walked through the pantry and opened the back kitchen door to peak inside. There were a bunch of people sitting around the table but no one else. I definitely could sneak in grab some grub and be out of there before stupid drunk people tried to talk to me.

"Nanoha!" Hayate yelled.

Motherf*cker. "Yes Hayate-chan?"

"Play with us or I'll tell." She smiled that stupid cocksure smile.

Tell what? She didn't see me do anything. I walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a bag of chips. I wish mom had a junk food cupboard.

"Hey everyone listen up!" Hayate jumped to her feet and motioned towards the others in the kitchen. "Did you know that Nanoha is..."

"Okay I'll play with you Hayate-chan!" I slumped into the only free chair next to Hayate. There's no way that I'm...but I really don't want that rumour going around. Even if I look at that stupid bitch sometimes...it doesn't mean that I'm...

Two cards slid in front of me; a two of hearts and six of clubs.

"Hehehehe. That's very unfortunate Nanoha-chan." She glared at me.

"Lets see. Takamachi-san I dare you to take a drink of the rum." The blonde haired guy next to be smiled at me with his eyes closed.

"What?" I looked pleadingly over at Ginga.

"Were playing a game where the lowest card can be dared by the higher cards to do something and your cards are lower than Yuuno-san's." Ginga avoided my eyes and fidgeted.

In the middle of the table was a bottle of amber liquid with a big 151 written on it. That's stupid. How can anything be more than 100 percent? I though the highest alcohol could be was like 99% because the rest of the water won't separate from the alcohol molecules. Why would they put that on the bottle? I poured some in one of the tiny glasses next to the bottle. It had this weird metal screen thing on the top...I wonder what it's for?

If drink just this one I should be okay...and Fate's watching too. I brought the tiny glass to my lips and gingerly poured it in my...throat tightened nose tingling mouth burning cough cough...I tried to choke it back but it came spewing out onto my clothes. I rested my head on the table and let the rest of the poison drip from my lips.

Back when I was a kid I remember taking a taste of the pretty green liquid under the sink...I think this was worse. My throat was sore, my mouth was burning, and I think I sucked some of it up my nose...wow it hurt.

Hayate lips were pursed shut and she was shaking. Any minute down her stupid laugh would perforate my ear drums. How could this be worse?

" Want another shot?" Fate poured some into one of the glasses and held it out to me.

"Fu...cough...cough...ck you."

She tipped the glass up to her lips and I cringed at just looking at that awful coloured liquid. She drank it in one gulp.

"Hahahahahahahahahahah! I...hahahahahahahahah!That hehehehehehe was so ungraceful...hahahahaha." Hayate pressed her face against the table to try and stifle her laugh.

"I'm sorry Tackmachi-san. I...saw...Testarossa-san drinking it and I thought Hayate was...was, well, just making a big deal out of ordinary rum." He placed his hand on my arm and rubbed it gently. "I'm sorry. You can have a sip of this if you like to get taste out of your mouth...it doesn't have an alcohol taste to it." He pushed a nearly full bottle of brown liquid toward me. "Mudshake," written on the label.

"That's okay," I didn't know his name, "I'll...cough cough...be alright."

He got out of his chair and went to the fridge.

"Hey! You need to take a shot now!" Hayate smiled triumphantly.

He placed a full bottle of the Mudshake in front of me. "I swear it's not like the other stuff."

"Awww! How sweet! Yuuno's trying to get you drunk." Hayate cooed and I yanked my arm away before she stroked it like Yuuno did. I opened the bottle and took a small taste. This tasted good. I'm positive that they could use that other stuff has industrial chemicals but this tasted like it belonged in your mouth.

"Fate-chan you're drinking too much." Ginga pulled a full shot glass away from Fate. It had that horrible rum in it.

"I'm disenfranchising my woundsss from the inside."

Ginga scrunched her eyes closed and glared at Fate. "It's...nevermind...Fate...acting dumb doesn't make me want you."

What? Ginga's cheeks were flushed with blood and Fate was smiling at her...Who cares who she wants? I certainly don't! Especially now that it looks like she tried to kiss a moving car. With a mug like hers, who would want her anyway without the swelling...it'll give her a dangerous look if it scars. A white vertical scar line on perfectly white skin. It'll draw attention to those sexy...gah...striking red eyes...I'm doing it again! I wish my legs were long enough to kick her under the God damned table!

"Stop eye-f^cking Fate and look at your cards!" Hayate poked me in the arm.

"Why are you so hostile Hayate-san?" Yuuno fiddled with his cards. "You keep antagonizing Fate-san and Nanoha-san."

"I'm not hostile!" She threw herself at Fate. "Fate and I are bestest friends...I like to pick on her and she likes to f^ck my br..." Fate clamped a hand over Hayate's mouth.

I didn't think Hayate actually hated me...I blinked the tears away. At least I have Alicia.

Ginga coughed loudly to get our attention. "I have two tens. What do you guys have?"

"I got a two and a four." Yuuno laughed and took a taste of his drink.

"...I got a jack and a five..." I flipped my cards over.

"Crap...a three and a four." Hayate deadpanned and then glared harshly at a smiling Fate.

Fate smugly picked up her two cards and dropped them face up on the table...the frigging showboat. "Jack and a king! Beat that bitchesss, supreme bitch,...and bastard."

I should have kicked the door harder.

Hayate's eyebrow twitched and she tried to punch Fate in the arm but came up just short. "That's three hands in a row where you got the highest! You frigging cheater queen!"

"Cheating...hahaha...I'm not cheating. Some people are just naturally blessed more than others." The smile dropped off her face for a brief second. Maybe something about those words sinking in too deep. "Besides, you calling me the queen of cheating is like Nanoha calling me the queen of psychopaths."

"...are you trying to suggest something..." Hayate tried to punch Fate again with the same result as before.

"She's just kidding Nanoha-san." There was Yuuno's hand again, stroking my arm and trying to be comforting. I didn't think his skin would be this smooth. Dad's hands are rough and not smooth at all. Maybe Yuuno was a little bookish. I wonder if I could get use to smooth hands like those?

"I dare Nanoha to not dare me for the ressst of the night." Fate smiled triumphantly.

Not like I'd want her to do anything anyway.

"You f^cking spoilsport." Hayate leaned on her elbows. "Ginga, you got the next highest cards dare her to do something since she's such a baby...and she cheats."

"Hmmm." Ginga glanced quickly at Fate who was glowering at Hayate and her improvised rules. "Would you get me a beer please."

Fate got up and walked over to the fridge, the thing was full of beer and I have no idea how they figured out who owned what, and pulled out a bottle. Walking over to Ginga she dropped to one knee and bowed her head and offered her the bottle.

"Pssst, uncap it for her," Hayate whispered.

Fate quickly pulled the stopper off and Ginga hesitantly took the bottle from her hands. "It be sweeter if your face didn't look like hamburger." She gently brushed her hand against Fate face...

Ugh! That made me sick.

"Fate-chan." Hayate twirled her hair. "Would you get me a beer?"

"Nope."

"...please?" Hayate swiftly undid the top buttons of her shirt and leaned forward across the table.

"I figured this game would be a little more exciting with Hayate playing." Yuuno gently squeezed my hand to get my attention.

"I'm sure she was planning on it...I dare Hayate to..."

"Oh f^ck." She jumped.

"...step in the back room with me for a second."

She turned slightly white. "That's a shot for me." She quickly downed the horrible liquid.

I don't know what I would have done when I got her back there but I'm sure I would have thought of something. I took a taste of my drink...which was almost gone. I don't remember sipping it.

"Heehehe," Hayate giggled. "I dare Yuuno to take off his shirt."

Yuuno chuckled and slipped out of his button up shirt and draped it over the back of his chair.

"What? Someone has to end up naked and he was the only one I could dare."

"Whatever you ssssay." Fate chuckled.

Hayate downed her beer and jumped to her feet. "You people are so lame! Your dares are so lame!"

"Says the girl who asked me to remove my shirt." Yuuno shivered.

"New rule! Drink a shot whenever someone says the letter 's'."

If any of them say that letter I will shove this bottle so far up their backends...

Hayate collected the cards and passed them out in silence and then paused before placing Fate's two cards in the middle of the table. Wouldn't it be easier to just lay them face up? The bitch was pretty intoxicated though...

"Mwahahahaha," Fate flipped her cards revealing two aces.

"God fucking dammit!" Hayate yelled. "Fate...you...go...at...the...end."

"It's luck not cheating."

Hayate smirked and poured five shots. "We drink...'it's' got an 's' in it."

I stared down at the horrible yellow crap. Why am I doing this too myself?

I hope you all enjoyed it and hopefully I'll have more for you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

Babbler: Haven't updated this in a while so I thought I should. I hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

Nanoha POV

* * *

Later that night (continuation from the end of the last chapter):

My vision was slimming...simming...swimming? Who knows but it was moving. I'm definitely drunk. Who'd of thunk...thought...think that I'd be stoned and drunk on the same day? I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

I'm getting sleepy...Oh...the house is spinning!. My eyes shot back open.

"Come on Fateeeeee. Come with me." Hayate whined, pulling Fate's sleeve. She twirled something white in her hand that looked like a cigarette.

Fate had a glass of...water I think and it spilled as Hayate pulled on her. She put it close to her lips only for Hayate to do it again. "Stop shaking me...if you want to smoke it I'll come!"

Hayate grinned spread from ear to ear. "I bet you would."

Ginga blushed and she fiddled with her hands. "Alright we're stopping." Ginga stood and put the stopper on the alcohol bottle. "You two are way to drunk...and look at Nanoha! She can't even keep her eyes open."

Finally! No more blackmailed drinking! I could kiss her. That alcohol is so icky!

"I'm not that drunk." Hayate took the bottle and hugged it tightly. "I still love you."

"You're...you're not backing up your case there." Ginga frowned.

"I...I'm just strange not drunk!" Hayate pouted kissing the bottle.

Ginga sighed. "No. You mean strange and completely plastered."

Yuuno squeezed my arm gently and smiled at me. His hand's been doing that a lot tonight. I laid my head on the table. So sleepy.

"What to go dance? There are a ton of people in the living room." He smiled, his teeth bright and white.

I didn't want to dance but I'd like to get away from Hayate and that blondie. That v-neck is so deliciousnesn...delicosssses...nice. Just because I like looking at boobs doesn't make me gay. I like looking at their faces too. Guys look at boobs and it doesn't make them gay! How come if I look at a girl's butt that means I'm gay but guys do it all the time? Life isn't fair.

"Onee-chan!" Alicia's voice came from somewhere and by the time I looked up she was seated in Fate's lap, her head nestled in the crook of her neck. "You're so huggable. I love you onee-chan." She closed her eyes.

Fate quirked her good eyebrow. "Are...are you drunk sis?"

"Nooooo. I'm just tired." She didn't open her eyes and hugged Fate tighter. "Take me to bed."

"Take me to bed Feito-chan. I'm so sleepy." Leaning forward Hayate squeezed her boobs together with her arms and batted her eyelashes.

Flick! Alicia's hand shot out and flicked Hayate forehead.

"Wha...but you weigh..." She bit her tongue. "Okay." Fate stayed planted in her chair unable to move. She pushed Alicia off of her, quickly stood and scooped her up in her arms. "I guess you're not that hev...hev..." She wobbled backwards then righted herself and waobbled again...Ginga grabbed Fate's shoulders.

"Fate! You're too drunk for that."

"I am not."

'You are too! Look you're staggering. You've had like six drinks since I've sat down with you!"

"Pfft." Fate staggered out of the kitchen with Ginga close behind.

It must be nice being in Fate's arms...I mean because I want to go to sleep and someone taking me to bed would be nice. I mean...to sleep in bed...not _take_ me to bed. Who'd want to be _taken _to bed and kiss her ugly face...hehe...it's even uglier now.

"Lets go dance Nanoha." Yuuno squeezed my hand.

"Woooooooooooooooo! Way to go Fate!" came a yell from somewhere.

"She's my sister jackass!"

"Ginga's there too. THREESOME!"

"Shut up Vice!"

Yuuno shot up from his chair and and rounded the table. Hayate had had some point managed to fall on the floor. Yuuno picked her up and plopped her back on the seat.

"Ow." She rubbed her hip. "I tried to grab Fate when ssshe looked like ssshe was going to fall." She leaned back in the chair and a lighter appeared from somewhere and moved closer to the cigarette she had put in her mouth. She paused for a second and then put the lighter in her pocket. "I'm going for a smokee-smoke-smoke." She got to her feet and walked unsteadily to the back door of the kitchen.

I somehow managed to get to my feet and let Yuuno drag me to the living room. We plopped down on a crowded couch with me nearly on top of him. It was dark...very dark. Someone had brought a little light thingy that shined all over the place...and is giving me an headache...everyone seemed to like it. My eyeballs were vibrating the music was so loud.

There were a lot of people looking at me. I haven't been to a party before...me and Alicia locked ourselves in her room last time...so they're not used to seeing...and I'm drunk too so that might be it...or I'm sitting on Yuuno's lap pretty much.

His hand is on my leg.

Yuuno pushed me to my feet. "Come on lets dance!" he yelled in my ear and grabbed my hand. I followed him into the mass of people.

I don't think I ever danced before. I danced with my dad at a church thing once. Everyone is flailing around. There was a girl next to me and I did what she was doing.

Bump. I almost fell down when someone's bum knocked into me from behind. I turned a little to see who it was but it was a girl I didn't know the name of. She's in some of my classes though.

"Nanoha!"

She knows me? She grabbed my hand and spun me around and then we both spun around...Oh God! Making me sick...and she interlocked her finger with mine and bent me back then brought me back to my feet for more horrible spinning.

People were watching us now or that's what I think...they were kinda rushing past with all the spinning...and they made some room for our horrible spinning. Yuuno was smiling and watching us merrily. Merrily is a funny word.

She pulled me in tighter to her body. Mmm. She smells nice.

* * *

Fate POV

* * *

Meanwhile upstairs in the hallway in front of Alicia's room:

"When you're sober I'm going to hit you!" Ginga arm shot out and connected with my shoulder. She leaned against the doorway and glared at me or was it pouting at me maybe? It's hard to tell.

"Well thank you for letting me...not letting me topple down the stairs." I hugged her. Her arms slowly crept around around me.

"You're...you're welcome." Her hug tightened.

I kissed her on the cheek. Her face went instantly red and she mumbled something. She pushed me away.

"I'm going to check on my sister. I haven't seen her in a while and she gets into trouble." She took a couple steps toward the stairs. "Any idea where she is?"

Now there's a toughie. To tell Ms. Nakajima that her sister is most probably in a sweaty embrace or not to tell her that her sister's in a a hot very sweaty embrace. "I don't think they want you to find them."

"They?" She scrunched her eyes closed in contemplation. "They're... They're not really are they? Fate tell me!" She took a couple of steps toward me and grabbed my shirt.

I tried whistling as best I could but it seemed to only make the alcohol stowed away in my stomach to do a little nauseous dance.

"Dad's going to freak if he thinks his daughter is a lesbian." She glared knives at me. As if that were going to pull Subaru's face out of Teana's crotch.

Ginga is a funny girl when she's drunk.. She b' tiptoeing the girls love line and she say Subaru be gettin' inta trouble. I tried whistling again and this time the booze in my tummy didn't dance to the beat so I kept doing it.

"I hate you so much right now." She stomped down the stairs mumbling something that rhymed with "oopid trucking witch." I won't dwell on it. I'm glad it's not Nanoha who's mad at me. It makes it so much easier to sleep when you're not worrying about getting stabbed.

"Fate-chan?"

There came a tiny voice from inside my sister's room and I walked unsteadily toward her beckoning.

"What'cha want sis?"

"Snuggle with me." She reached out and grabbed my hand when I sat on the bed.

"I have to make sure everyone don't bludgeon the house to death...especially Nanoha."

She put up her lip and rolled inside against the wall.

"I'll snuggle with you later okay?"

"Okay." Her voice muffled against the blanket.

"Goodnight sis. Don't let the alcohol bug...nothing rhymes with that."

I locked the door behind me and walked...grasped the railing for dear life...descended down the stairs. I can't count how many times I have fallen down these stairs; especially with my brain fuzzy with booze.

There was no one in the kitchen now or the hallway or the back room. It must be the She-Devil is near the foundation of the house! I ran for the basement stairs and again grasped the railing. Nanoha pushed me down these stairs once when she was a lesser demon. Everyone came running and Alicia was crying and Arf was licking my face and mother...

Thankfully Nanoha was no where to be found down here and there wasn't anyone passed out either...wait a minute...there was some squeaking in our toy room.

"If someone's in there doing horrible things to my barbies...I'll..."

There were a couple of voices coming from the inside. I walked a few steps closer. The door was nearly closed so I couldn't see inside.

"We were only kissing. Don't tell dad. Please." That was a familiar voice.

"You two are almost naked! And..and you're...you're stoned and drunk!" Ginga was laying it on strong.

"You're drunk too."

"That doesn't matter...you two are..."

"Come on sis. Be a good sis."

"Don't touch me! You've been doing that! That's gross."

I don't want any part of this. I walked silently as a moose through the forest...ARGGG! My pinkie toe smashed against the corner of the wall. I swallowed my scream. Subaru and Ginga would definitely pull me into that fight if they know I'm here.

I crouched and massaged my toe a bit, and to make sure bones weren't sticking out, and finally hobbled up the stairs when pain subsided. I think I broke my toe but I'll worry about that tomorrow morning.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the door to the fridge. Seemed liked a couple of things were missing...NOOOOO MY ICE CREAM! How can you just steal someone's ice cream? You let them in your house to party and they EAT YOUR FREAKING ICE CREAM! Sooo ungrateful! That's so cruel...but there was still plenty of booze. That might actually make up for it...unless mom drinks it all. I have to remember to hide this in my room.

I grabbed a bottle of water and went outdoors through the side door. If someone were dying on the lawn I'll have to row...roll them into a ditch or something and make sure they don't choke on their vomit.

It was freezing and I wrapped my arms around myself...what little help that gave. It's too cold for anyone to be out here anyway and if they were they'd have pneumonia...I mean hypothermia. It was eerily quiet. I could hear the bass from our stereo in the living room but there wasn't even the sound of traffic.

I rounded the corner of the house and noticed someone's breath in the cold night air. They were sitting on the patio and smoking; I could see the glowing cherry of a cigarette. I crept up the stairs, silent as a drunken horse, one at a time and tiptoed across the patio.

It was Hayate sitting on the first step and smoking away with her jacket thrown over her tiny shoulders. Looked like she had finished a couple of ciggies or maybe it was blunties. I sneaked up behind her and dropped down so that she was between my legs and I could hug her.

"Fate?" She didn't look back.

"How did ya know it was me?"

"What? Wow you're ssso drunk I can't underssstand you AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

I slipped my icy cold hands in under her clothes. She's so nice and warm and surprisingly for someone who has been out here a while. She went completely stiff when I touched her. Even stiffer when I moved my hands around a bit to places that were warm.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Quiet you'll wake up the neighbours." I moved my hands around a little more.

"You...you...bitch." She had been trying to pull away from me and she finally rested her back against me. "Your handsss are like ice!"

"Cold hands warm heart."

"Haha...you're ssso drunk you think you're sober aren't you?" She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Nope, just drunk...ossosoossoosfied...ossosfied...fuck."

"Ssso...you're just gonna leave Nanoha inside unsssupervised?" Hayate chuckled.

"Inside, the house can fall on me. Out here...unless an asteroid hits me...I'm fine. If she has the power to do that then I'm fucked anyway so there is no point worrying. Her with that much power is too scary to consider. Brrrr."

"Hehe...you've thought about this haven't you."

"Yes. I thought 'what could be worse than the current Nanoha?' and it wasn't hard to come up with. You know, Nanoha with laser beams for eyes, or magical girl powers, or a functioning brain or..."

"Ssscissors for hands?"

"Haven't you seen her hands? She has talons!" Perfectly manicured talons. She must get underlings to do her dirty work to keep them so nice.

Bang! Hayate and I both jumped at the patio door opened and slammed shut behind us.

There was a pause and I could hear her agitated breaths has she hesitated. "Fate! Give me my keys I'm going home," Ginga finally yelled and stomped over to us.

"I don't have your keys." I pulled my hands out of Hayate's shirt and leaned back and jammed them in my pockets. Why would I have her keys? Who would trust me with their keys?

"Aren't you a little drunk Ginga-chan?"

"I am not."

I do have her keys! When did I get them? Is this some Donnie Darko shit? Is this an unstable time loop? "Sorry don't have them? You're gunna have to walk home. If you ask nice you can sleep in my..."

"I can hear you jangling them!" She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "Fate! I'm not in the mood!"

"Okay." I got up and pulled Hayate to her feet.

"Then give me my keys!"

She was nearly crying...or had been crying. Her eyes looked red and she hadn't been smoking the ganja...hehe...Ginga hadn't smoked the ganja. Ginga ganja. Ganja Ginga...

I pulled the keys out of my pocket and with my other hand pulled up Hayate's shirt slightly then shoved them in her underwear.

"Aaaaaaaaaa...cold! Fate!" Hayate squirmed in my grasp.

Ginga lips curled and she sniffed. She turned her back to me and rubbed her eyes fiercely. "Fuck you!" She ran down the steps and toward our gate.

"Come back! Ginga!"

"You're sssuch a charmer." Hayate elbowed me and shook her head.

"Better put these somewhere I can find them." I shoved my hand back down Hayate's pants but instantly grabbed my wrist.

"Naaa!You haven't even kissssed me yet and you're already got you're hand in my pantsss!" She pulled away from me, slipped her hand into her pants, and pulled out the keys.

"That wasn't a problem last time." I tried to keep a straight face...well I imagine one side of my face is swollen beyond recognizance from the devil's wrath but I tried with the other side at least.

"Like I sssaid, you're such a charmer."

* * *

Nanoha Pov:

* * *

Meanwhile in the living room:

"Where were you before our drinking game?" Yuuno hugged me a little closer. I could barely hear him over the music even though his mouth was close enough that his breath was tickling my ear.

"We were watching...a movie." What was it called again? "Oh...Catch me if you Can."

"I love that movie! Want to go finish it?"

I have a headache and the music is making it worse and I don't want to sleep yet. When I close my eyes the world spins...ugh. "Okay."

We pushed our way out of the living room. People were watching us again. I could feel their eyes on me as I passed. What's so interesterresting about seeing me drunk? We walked into the kitchen.

"Wow, it's cold in here!" Yuuno shivered. "And dark. Were is the light switch?"

"The back door is open a little." I walked back toward it and put my hand on the knob to pull it closed..

There were two people just outside on the patio. One shorter and one taller. Lips pressed together and eyes closed. Yuuno flicked on the lights and I was staring at my own face mirrored in the window of the door.

"Come on lets go watch the movie." Yuuno put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah..."

* * *

Babbler: Like always, feedback is appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Angst of Fate Testarossa and Co.

Chapter 6

* * *

Monday morning at the Testarossa residence:

Monday's have always been my bane. Mornings have always been my bane. Together they collide to create my kryptonite and suck me of my power and leave me weak like a kitten. I rolled over and pressed my face into my pillow. Today might be a shitstorm...what am I saying...**will** be a shitstorm if Saturday morning was anything to go by. That day had started out so well...

* * *

Saturday morning after the party:

_Ugh! Bright._ I forgot to close the curtains last night. I rubbed my eyes, sat up, and stretched. It was 7:00 on the dot and I didn't feel like crap so my hangover must not have hit yet...I'm probably still drunk...No, definitely still drunk. When that hits it's going to be a tsunami. It must be like how the dinosaurs felt like when they saw that hunk of stone burning in the atmosphere...I mean if their tiny brains could contemplate such a thing as impeding doom.

There was a little cocoon of blankets on my bed and it wasn't to hard to guess who the larvae was. Every single one of my damned sheets was rolled up around her and to top it off she was pressed up against me and taking up two-thirds of the bed.

I got up and put my feet out onto the cold cold floor. I have to get some water in me before I die. I trotted across my beer can strewn floor on my tip-toes trying to keep the sensitive bits from the ice like floor, and swung open the door.

I had my nightgown on...Oh wow! I somehow managed to make it to my own bed and put my pyjamas on. My drinking skills must have levelled up! Last time I drank like that I woke up spooning with the toilet with my pants half off. Wooo! Progress...and maybe alcoholism...not wooo.

I wandered out into the hallway and down the stairs humming. I took a couple of steps toward the living room but I'm not sure if I want to look in there yet. The last time...I don't even want to think about the last time. If a bunch of asylum inmates and monkeys had a poo throwing fight it would have been less of a catastrophe. I'm definitely not looking in there first.

I walked into the kitch...Yuck! The floor is sticky. All of it. Beer everywhere. It's such a pain to clean when your mop sticks to the floor. Dammit.

Taking big steps I hopped over to the fridge and opened the door.

One beer. Two beer. Many beer! Mwhahahaha. All mine!

I pulled out the water jug and put it on the counter. It was one of those wide mouth ones that poured water down your chest when you tried to drink straight from it, and I'm not in the mood for icy cold water over my boobs, so I better use a glass. I opened the cupboard door. No glasses. None in the next one either. No cups. The wine glasses were even freaking gone. How in the heck did they get these many glasses dirty?

Oh well. Anything will do. I pulled something out and poured the water in. Life giving refreshing water! I don't think I've been this dehydrated before in my life.

"Are you drinking from a gravy boat?"Teana appeared in her wrinkled clothes from last night.

"Yes. It does appear to be a gravy boat. Would you prefer to use the dog bowl...That's for Nanoha what am I thinking."

"Give me some."

I poured some more water into it and handed it to her and she greedily put it to her lips and tipped it back.

"Two girls one gravy boat."

Teana's cheeks swelled up and she turned red in the face. She finally spluttered. "Don't make me laugh...when...I'm drinking!"

She handed it back to me and we emptied it and filled it several times. The water bottle was nearly empty and our tap water taste terrible. I hope we have more in the refrigerator downstairs.

"How come you're not hungover? I didn't even drink last night and I feel like crap." She narrowed her eyes at me.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Based on my body weight and the amount I drank last night. I guesstimate I'll shall be drunk until lunch at least."

"Hayate broke out the Bacardi 151 didn't she. Have you looked around yet? I bet there's barf everywhere...everywhere." Teana shuddered. "You have rubber gloves this time?"

"Yes. This time there is no hurry to clean up though so we could go buy some if need be." I put my arm around her. "Aww. You gonna help me clean. You're so sweet."

"I want something to eat first." She opened the fridge and pulled out the milk and then trotted across to the cupboards, and on the second try, pulled out some cereal. "Are you having some too? I don't want to eat by myself?"

"Yes please. I'm gonna go put some pants on first." I hopped out of the kitchen- you know, sticky grossness and all- and jogged back up the stairs. I could feel bit of a headache coming on as I reached my room...rumbling before an avalanche. I should drink more water.

"Fate?" Hayate poked her head up from her cocoon. "I'm stuck."

"It's a good thing you aren't a vomit fountain then." I jumped on the bed and pulled on a blanket and Hayate flipped over twice.

"Noooo! Don't spin me around or I **WILL** be a fountain!" She rolled a little so I could pull the blanket more. "How the heck did I get like this?"

"I have no idea but thanks to you I almost froze my ass off." I tugged on a blanket and she spun around a few times and then plopped out on the bed naked...well, actually, grudging;y rolled over and managed to haul her ass out of the rest of the ball of sheets.

"Don't be so rough." She pulled me towards her and wrapped her arms around me.

There was a knock on my half closed door and it was pushed open. Alicia bounced in wearing her pink bunny slippers and fuzzy florescent pink pj's. Even at this hour she managed to radiate like a thousand suns...and she was drinking! She must have a hangover! How can something this perky exist in our crapsack world? It truly boggles the mind.

She froze to the spot halfway to my bed and her eyes shot open.

A switch somewhere in her brain flicked off and her perky disappeared, followed closely by the blinding glare, and 100 megawatt smile. Her shoulders slouched, her smiled upturned, and she she marched out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"What the heck was that about?"

"I don't care. It hurts to live. I'm going back to sleep." Hayate rolled over with a groan and pulled some blankets over herself.

I pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and then in my dresser, pulled got some undies and socks. I could feel Hayate eyes raking over me as I pulled on my undies and clasped my bra. She had pulled the blankets over her head but two bright blue eyes burned out from underneath. I slipped on my pants and shirt, her eyes still on me.

"Watching you get dressed was unexpectedly hot."

"Get up and help us clean!" I jumped on the edge of the bed and prepared to grapple her.

"Leave me be. I'm just going to curl up and die..."

"Can you at least die on the floor and not in my bed?"

"No promises."

"I'll check on you later." I jumped back off the bed and walked back downstairs. It was tempting to look in the living room but if I want to be able to keep my breakfast down I really shouldn't.

"Took you long enough." Teana was seated at our now perfectly clean table with two bowls and spoons. The milk and cereal next to her.

"Three of these six chairs have experienced the sweaty horrors of naked male ass and/or scrotum. I thought it only fair to warn you."

Teana closed her eyes and grimaced. "Next time tell me after I finish eating."

I sat besides Teana and dumped some cereal into my bowl and then the milk. Mmm. I love frosted flakes. My stomach gurgled and did an unexpected somersault. I give it a 9.5. It definitely lost marks on its landing. Things aren't right down there. I should eat more slowly.

Teana was eating slowly too and nursing a cup of coffee...Why didn't she make me any? Where did she get the cup? She took a sip hesitantly bringing the cup up to her mouth. She's definitely lying about not drinking last night.

"Hey look! We really are two girls one cup now!" Teach her for not making me coffee.

Teana snorted then sputtered and put her cup down. She wiped her nose. "I hate you."

"How's Subaru?" I asked in between mouthfuls of sugary goodness.

"Out cold..."

The door to the back room swung open and Nanoha emerged buttoning her shirt. Her face was white and her hair was let down and hanging limply against her back. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Dammit! Random encounters suck. You mosey around in the grass and you're expecting level 12 rattata's but freaking Satan herself pops out.

"Good morning Nanoha-sempai." Teana did her best to smile pleasantly.

"Morning." Her eyes shot back and forth between Teana and I.

"No you can't have some. Leave to whence you came." I pulled my bowl closer to me.

"Shut the fuck up." She fastened the last couple of buttons and stepped grudgingly onto the sticky floor.

"Wow. I...didn't expect you to say that." Came a male voice in the next room and then Yuuno poked his head through the door.

"Yeah well I'm not feeling well so hurry up and drive me home." She planted her hands on her hips and looked at Yuuno.

"No driving for you. You still have alcohol in your system." I pointed my spoon at Yuuno.

"Yeah. I know." He shrugged. "I planned on staying and helping you clean anyway."

"Why don't you start with cleaning the cumOOF!" A clenched fist met my charlie horse an I couldn't help but grab my leg in pain and fight back tears rather than finish my sentence.

Teana withdrew her fist. "Nanoha, why don't you go see how Alicia is feeling? Do you want some cereal Yuuno?"

"No." His face went pale and she shook his head. He took a chair besides me.

BANG! BANG! BANG! Someone was trying to knock the house down. I think they broke our door.

I hesitantly walked to the porch. I was presentable I think. I was dressed at least, and other than the whole still drunk thing and the looking like I crawled out from under a rock thing, I think I looked okay. I opened the door.

The man took a step inside and I had to jump back or he would have walked right into me.

"Good morning Mr. Nakajima."

He eyed the mark on my face and sighed. "Go get my daughter."

"Yes sir." I marched stiff legged into the kitchen and motioned for Teana to follow me. We descended the stairs in silence and I can't say I was enthralled about walking into my play room and finding Subaru naked...but Teana walked in and left the door open.

Subaru was sitting upright on the edge of the our fold out bed staring at the floor. She had one leg in the pants and her shirt on backwards.

"You look awful." Teana grabbed Subaru's shirt and pulled it off.

"Teana...Fate is watching." Subaru pouted laying back on the bed.

Flick. "We aren't...get dressed knucklehead your dad is here."

She was quiet for a second and her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, pulled on her pants, and ran for the door. She took a couple steps into the hall then ran back to grab her shirt. Before I could grab her she was running up the stairs.

"Wanna make a bet who comes out of this worse?" Teana shoulders slumped.

"I'm going to have to say you will." I put my arm around Teana's shoulders and walked her toward the stairs. "Everyone already thinks I'm some kind of slutty stoner...it's hard to go lower than that."

Subaru's head poked around the corner at the top of the stairs. "Dad wants to see you two."

Great. Now we're going to get cussed at by and old fart. Teana and I sighed in unison. We ascended the stairs without a word. Teana clung tightly to my arm when we reached the kitchen and I had to stop for a second. I felt faintish...is that a word? Teana didn't care and pulled me into the porch.

Subaru and her father were whispering fiercely and glaring at each other. Both of them set their eyes on us has we walked through the kitchen door.

"Teana." He set his withering glare on me and then Teana in turn. It felt like getting scolded. I winched and had to look away.

"Y..yes?" Teana let go of my arm and partially hid behind my back.

He just stared at her. I think he might have been trying his hardest to beam his thoughts straight into Teana's head by the ways his eyes bulged and the vein on his forehead throbbed

"And you!"

Guh!

"Don't think I won't be talking to your mother!"

Good luck with that.

He grabbed Subaru by the shoulder and just about pushed her off her feet as he walked through the door and thankfully didn't slam it behind him.

Ring! Ring! Ring! The land line was ringing on the little table next to the living room door where mom had placed it. It was covered in dust since no one ever used that thing.

I huffed and plodded over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

Usually when you have phone conversation it goes something like "hello," and then "may I speak with so-in-so," and not multiple four and five letter words strung together by even more cursing. They were speaking so fast it was hard to tell what they were saying, but it sounded like party and there was something to do with stomach pumping...but that was as far as I got when I hung up.

Teana was white in the face and leaning against the wall but she still managed to arch an eyebrow

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Precia yadda yadda swearing yadda," said a deep male voice over the phone.

"Come again? You have reached the Walmart courtesy desk. How may I help you today?" I did my very best to imitate the annoying grating sweetness in Alicia's voice.

The guy sputtered for a second and finally hung up.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Dammit! How are so many people up this early? Do they really have nothing better to do?

* * *

Back to the present:

I unplugged the phone after that. I bet they'll probably have some kind of assembly today and all because of me and my party.

I know for certain that at least half the school is grounded because of me. Hehe. Or **NOT** because of me. I didn't make them drink...it's not my fault if people take advantage of my hospitality and drank themselves into vomit land. I should be a lawyer.

Somehow, I managed to roll out of bed and put on my uniform. I had a shower last night and I'm not in the mood for one this morning.

I trudged downstairs and into the kitchen. It being only a few minutes past seven, I actually have time for breakfast this morning. The mother unit would usually be here drinking coffee and glowing with some sort of unnatural light, that I think is actually Cherenkov radiation if anyone cared to check, but she wasn't there today. Probably sleeping off her intense weekend.

It's nice eating breakfast in silence with just the sound of the clock ticking and wind outside. No Alicia humming and shining and giving me a headache and best of all no mother. I kinda like that part best. I finished up my cereal and put my bowl in the sink and walked back up stairs to brush my teeth.

Ha! Even get to use the real bathroom! Alicia's door was open but there was no one in there and the bed was made. I tried mom's door but it was locked. I quickly brushed my teeth and went back downstairs. Where is everybody?

My sisters shoes were gone and now that I think about it I heard their voices earlier this morning. It's nearly time to leave so I have to hurry. I ran back upstairs and grabbed my book bag and then back to the porch and put on my shoes.

I threw open the door and...it's raining sideways. The fence was wobbling in the wind and the trees were bent almost in half. If that wasn't enough, I think it's the hardest I have ever seen it rain in my entire life. I suppose if I'd turned on the weather channel or checked the internet I would have know there was a tropical storm/hurricane today.

Maybe classes are cancelled. I opened Twitter on my phone.

Uminari High School: Classes will be going ahead as scheduled. Please take care when travelling.

Guh!

Our car was gone and so was mom.

I took out my cell phone and called her number.

"The number you have reached is currently unavailable..."

Like this is unexpected and yet it always take me by surprise. I think I have the greatest mom in the entire world. Let me count the ways how much I love her:

1.)She doted on us when we were younger and loved us so much I'm surprised I survived childhood.

2.)Not even a single evil bone in her body and she's always so happy and bouncy all the time. I don't know how I would I make it through the days if my wonderful mother were to disappear.

3.)Always there when you need her most. Always so comforting and encouraging.

3.)Always returns from her little trips exactly when she says she's suppose to. Like telling Alicia this weekend that she'd be back Saturday night and not returning until Monday morning. And, when she does come back you get the feeling deep in your gut that you're lucky she came back at all.

Lucky...I bet that's what it is. All this immense luck I have.

I'll have to call Ginja since she's the only one I know who can drive. I dialled her number.

"Hello?"

"Hi...can you give me a lift to school?"

"Nope. Sorry. Bye."

Dammit. Maybe Hayate...but she can't drive and Signum's already at school. I'd have to call the school to talk to her and she's not going to drive here to get me. Dammit.

I do have a rain coat though! I use to always wear it on days like this when mom would...abandon me...I ran down stairs to the closet where I left it. I took it off the hangar and put my arm in the sleeve and no sooner then I did I realized I had long outgrown it. There was an umbrella here but they are useless when the wind is blowing this hard.

I stomped up the stairs to my room. I have to scrounge up some money for cab fare. My piggy back was empty and I know for sure my wallet is. I had $2.50 in change on my night stand but that was it. I used my money for beer...and now it wall all gone. This will teach me for using my debit card for everything.

I'm going to be late! I ran out the my door and over into Alica's room. It was neon green...everything neon green. I hate this room. It's so hard on the eyes this early in the morning. Her purse wasn't here and she didn't have a piggy bank. I pulled out a drawer in her dresser but there was only clothes in it and the three below it were likewise. The drawers under her bed had nothing in them at all.

I bet the charge as soon as you get in the cab is more than $2.50.

This was going to suck immensely.

* * *

All feedback is appreciated. Constructive feedback is even more greatly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Angst of Fate Testarossa and Co.**

Chapter 7

Nanoha POV:

Uminari High School:

We had a math test in five minutes but it was hard to concentrate on my math book. I just want to get it over with and not study any more! I turned to look out the window...not that I could see anything because the wind was blowing the rain against the glass and it was raining really hard.

Stupid rain. My hair was soaked and it was making the back of my shirt wet. Why do we have to go to school when it's so bad outside?

"...make sure you remember that." The homeroom teacher tapped his papers against the lectern and tucked them into his briefcase.

Remember what?

"Alicia..." I turned to my right but there was no one sitting besides me. I forgot she's not here yet.

For that matter, there were quite a few students not here. Some of the people that were here looked like they shouldn't be. Hayate is always so bright and perky...even if she's a bitch...and she's drooling on her desk. Fate's not here either. Half the class is probably grounded after Fate's party so maybe that's why they look so pooped.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Our math teacher rushed into the room. "Take everything off your desk except your pencil and eraser. You don't get a test until your desk is clear."

He handed me my test and I promptly wrote my name on it and flipped over the cover sheet.

Simplify:

(-5)(2y+1)-2 (y-1)3 +3(2y+1)-4(y-1)2

Poop! I hate these. At least it doesn't have fractional exponents...like the next one. I hate math.

I looked back out the window but there wasn't much more to see than last time. If anything, it was raining harder now, or maybe more windy, and I could see less.

Maybe Alicia's sick. She is still not here and Alicia never missed school and definitely never a test...Fate either really as hard as it is to believe. Skipped class a few times though...

The door at the front of the classroom opened and, speak of the devil, Fate walked in. Her hair matted against her head, her clothes clinging to her, and a trail of water behind her. She was completely soaked to the bone and dragging a black garbage bag behind her. There was a cigarette hanging limply from her mouth with water dripping from the tip. She walked over to the teacher's desk and dropped a soaking wet piece of paper onto it; which I think was a late slip at some point.

"What happened to you?" He handed her a test.

"I fell in the toilet." She reached out to take it but then looked at her wet hands and finally stooped and brought two rosy red lips close to the edge of the paper and took it between her teacher blushed bright red, the old pervert, it didn't help that Fate had a few buttons undone and her wet uniform hugged her curves. Who wants to look at her sexy accentuated hips anyway? What kind of...person... gets off on... that? I hope someone didn't turn up the heat because I feel sweaty all of a sudden.

She walked, bare feet slapping against tiles, back to her seat dragging the bag behind her and plopped down into her chair and let out a long sigh.

She ripped open the garbage bag with her nails and pulled out another garbage bag which she ripped open with her nails. Inside was her book bag and a towel.

That's actually a good idea! I wish I brought a towel. It's nice watching her dry her hair with her chest..Stop thinking about Fate stupid brain! We have a date with Yuuno, Brain, so it doesn't matter if Fate is extremely distracting, you aren't allowed to look at her

Damp hair is uncomfortable. I really wish I brought a towel. I don't want to go all the way to the locker room to get mine and mom woke me up at 5:30 so there wasn't a whole lot on my mind besides staying awake this morning so I didn't think about bringing one at all. Mom's been on lock down since Saturday morning...

* * *

Bang!

There was a noise somewhere in the basement and I saw a blur race up the stairs from the corner of my eye. Yuuno was clinging tightly to me, probably partly to keep me from falling off the edge of the sofa and partly because...his thingy was pressed against my butt. I'm so glad I'm clothed.

I sat up and stretched and Yuuno did the same.

"You're awake?"

"Hmm...Whatever that noise was...Who was that?" Yuuno rubbed his eyes.

"Lanster-san I think."

I need water or I'm going to die. I managed to pull myself to my feet and walked into the adjacent room where the Testarossa's kept a bit of a store room. I had to lean against the wall. This wasn't the worst I ever felt but it was getting there. My stomach felt like...horrible and my head was throbbing and my hands were shaking. My throat was sore too. Probably from that horrible...rum I think...that I tried to drink.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I just felt so hot all of a sudden. I wiped my face with my t-shirt and took another deep breath.

When I was younger this store room would always be full of food and goodies. Linith used to scold us if we went in here because we'd ruin our meals for sure. It was like walking into a tiny grocery store. There would be fruit and vegetables, and baking stuff, and so many cookies! Things would be packed to the ceiling and filling the cupboards...I always kinda wondered what they did with all that food.

Now it was empty. Two cases of water lay on the floor and a sack of potatoes but it didn't sound like the fridge was even running; the deep fridge definitely wasn't. It looked liked the walls in the room hadn't been painted in years, the floor was scratched up, and only one set of the florescent lights were working. It smelt mouldy too and there were cobwebs in the corner.

_It's kinda sad..._ I pulled a bottle of water from an already open case and before I even knew it, I had drank the entire thing. I pulled out another and emptied it the same as the first.

"Do you want some water Yuuno?"

"Not right now," he groaned. He was siting on the couch with his head hanging over one of the arms looking every bit as miserable as I felt.

"I'm going home. I want to nap some more and mom will be mad if I'm gone too long anyway." Mom would find some way of killing me...it's best to get it over with early. Maybe coming in the door this early might make her lenient? One can only hope.

His head jerked up. "Oh...umn...can I text you...call you later or something?"

"Text...don't call. You already have my number right?" I can sorta remember putting it in his phone...probably put it in wrong...but my head will explode if I have to fiddle with his thingy this morning. I don't even want to think about his thingy. If I gave him the wrong number it'll only be until Monday anyway and then I can give him the right one.

I did a little wave to Yuuno and walked into the stairwell. I raced up to the top, taking two had a time, and then paused. Hopefully ugly isn't up yet. I said a silent prayer and stepped into the thankfully empty backroom. I leaned against the wall to the kitchen door and listened intently trying to concentrate on my...my head was throbbing...my stomach was doing a little dance...and I could feel sweat dripping down my face. Who cares if she's here? I just want to go home.

I threw open the door and...and that Lanster girl was sitting happily eating breakfast with a bruised and puffy face Fate.

Those beaut...red eyes met mine and I froze. There was something about her eyes sometimes that could pin you to the spot. She is so...Ugly! Not pretty!

She was said something and Yuuno appeared from nowhere but I had to get out of there.

I'll go see how Alicia is doing.

I raced out of the kitchen and ascended the stairs slowly one by one, I just didn't have the energy for anything else, and knocked on Alicia's door. There was some kind of muffled sound inside so I opened it.

The rest of the house smelled like beer and it was gross but Alicia's room was completely untouched and smelled fresh and clean. The rest of the house is kinda dreary but Alicia's room was bright and cheerful and also the most vivid shade of lime green you could imagine; her comforter was lime green, her pillow cases were green, her rug was green. It felt refreshing. She had so many teddy bears too. They were seated on her desk, her dresser, her book shelf, and peaking out from a half closed drawer. This room is so much nicer than Fate's and smelled better too.

Alicia was laying on her stomach with her face in her pillow and blankets up to her neck. I walked in and sat on her bed.

"Are you okay Alicia?"

"No."

"Do you want me to get you some water?"

Her hand shot out and grabbed mine before I could get up.

"Everything sucks."

Alicia didn't talk like that. Tone and word usage were all wrong. Maybe I'm dreaming, though I can't remember ever feeling this bad while I was dreaming. Maybe it was Alicia downstairs and I got confused... I let the words hang in the air for a bit.

"Whaa...what?" I couldn't help but smile.

"Snuggle with me." .

I froze. "I...I did some things with a guy last night so I don't think you want to."

"Did he fuck you?" Again, she didn't even stir.

Did she just say what I though she said? There's no way. I must have imaged it...so why is she staring at me like that?

"No...I wouldn't do that! We just kissed and he touched my...boobs." My heart was pounding. I guess technically I slept with him because we cuddled all night but we...didn't do that!

"Then snuggle me." She threw the blanket back with her arm and finally rolled over. "Nanoha...you look icky."

I went to lay down but Alicia held up her hand to stop me.

"In your undies. I don't want your dirty clothes in my bed."

"Okay. I pulled off my pants and shirt and crawled into bed with her. We slept in the same bed when we were little so it's no big deal. The three of us even had baths together. Linith had to chase three giggling naked girls around the house to get us dressed.

"Snuggle me."

She turned toward the wall and I put my arm around her and hugged into her. Alicia always was hugging into a stuffed animal when we were younger. I should have known she was the huggable type.

Alicia's bed smelt so nice. The couch I slept on smelt old and dusty so it's nice to lay my head on something that was recently laundered and smelled pleasantly of detergent...and like Alicia. I mean it's not like she smelt bad but it smelt like her.

Stupid heart, why are you racing? Why is it so hot all of a sudden? Alicia had to feel it and my body felt like it was 100 degrees. Alicia was so warm and her pj's were comfy. I glad I'm not a guy or my thingy would be poking her.

"I...didn't think...think you...you would want to snuggle me."

"Why?" she asked sweetly and turned her face slightly toward me. "Because you're a homosexual?"

Blam! Her broadside crashed through my haul. I couldn't breath. My heart stopped then slammed against my rib cage and stopped again. My head felt woozy. I wonder if this is a flight or fight response.

"What's wrong?" She turned her head to one side so she could look at me.

"No...not...nothing. Why would you say that?"

"Because you're acting funny."

"I don't feel very well. I drank some booze last night." I rolled away from Alicia and rubbed my face. It's not a lie really!

"I did too but I don't feel sick."

"Then what's wrong?" Sweet merciful Jesus she finally dropped that subject!

Should I snuggle her again? Is she going to think it's weird that I'm not snuggling with her?

Alicia turned over on her stomach with her face towards me. We just lay in silence for several minutes. "I wish I was a child. I want to go back in time and live it over again. Do you ever wish that?" She blurted out in one long stream of words.

"Yeah." Those were happy times for me. I couldn't wait to get up and rush over here to play with my two best friends in the whole world. Not come back until it was dark and then the next day do it all over again. I remember being at this house for weeks straight sometimes. Plus, I didn't have to worry about my brain betraying me.

"You do?" Her voice was muffled. "I miss playing with our barbies in the playroom. I miss playing hide and seek until it got dark and then roasting marshmallows and wieners with Linith. I miss our sleepovers in Fate's big bed. I miss hearing your footsteps running up the stairs when you came to play..." She sniffled. "I miss Linith baking us cookies and making jello...I miss Arf..."

That's right. I haven't seen Arf. I was wondering where she was...that had to be twelve years ago and Arf was already five then...

Alicia rubbed her face in her pillow. "You are crying too?"

We both sniffled for several minutes. Tears running down our cheeks.

"What's wrong today...Alicia, you are not your bubbly self." I wiped my eyes.

"I wish things would stay the same. Everyone is growing up and changing. Getting boyfriends and... _girlfriends_..."

Alicia's voice is clear as a bell- a perfect voice for presentations - and a pleasure to listen to even when she's moody and probably hungover like she is today, but that last word...sounded like her voice actress was replaced by Roseanne Barr. I wonder if she knows about Fate...and _Hayate?_ Makes me sick thinking about it.

"My friends are not the same as those I began high school with and I have never had many close friends. We have only a year left and then everyone will go there separate ways...Going to live their lives...Nothing will be the same again." Her eyes misted up again.

"You've thought about this a lot haven't you."

"...and I won't be with..Fate...any more." She pulled the covers over her head.

There was something very adorable about this tall ladylike girl hiding under her blankets. They're twins and I really really really missed Miyuki when she went away to college; they're as close as ...close can be? Alicia would be better off without Fate dragging down her name. Better off for not having to worry about her too. Fate's influence is what got us drunk last night...Alicia should be thinking good riddance rather than sobbing in her bed...but I can't say that. They're twins and they have that weird special bond twins have; even if it would be better if Alicia broke it.

I put my head under the blankets and hugged into Alicia's side.

I have to be nice for Alicia's sake. "You two are friends."

"I do not think so," she sniffed.

"You were holding hands with her the other day when you went to school and you were nice to each other last night. Just like when we were kids." Urk! The image in my head of those two holding hands is annoying and I don't know why.

"We are not close like we were...I was mean to her when we were younger and I avoided her. We are not nearly as close as we once were. She doesn't want to get close to me any more."

"What?" I accidentally blurted out.

"Linith had to leave when her contract expired and then Arf..." Alicia shuddered. "Fate started being bad...and I ignored her."

_Started_ being bad...well I guess she was nice enough when we were small...but I was five when I left. How bad can a five year old be? They can do some yelling and crying but they can't do much more.

"I wish I could go back and change things."

* * *

"**You have twenty minutes remaining.**"

I jumped at the sudden volume of our math teacher's voice. He wrote a huge "20 minutes left" on the white board.

"If you're not close to finishing I'd suggest you turn to the word problems since they are worth forty percent of your grade."

Poop! I only have three questions done! Mom's going to kill me! I flipped the test back to the word problems. I should pass, at least, if I can get these finished...

Machine A can complete a task in 5 hours alone. Machine B can complete the same task in 3 hours. Machine B breaks down after working together with Machine A for 1.5 hours. How long will it take Machine A to finish the task?

Okay...this is easy...you just have to...use fractions and...hehehe...maybe the next one.

2.) The speed of a boat in still water is 16 km/hr. If it travels on a river for 10 km downstream in the same amount of time it takes to travel 4 km upstream, what is the speed of the current?

I forgot we did this chapter and I don't remember how to set this up and we have twenty...fifteen minutes left! Poop!


	8. Chapter 8

The Angst of Fate Testarossa and Co.

Chapter 8

Fate POV:

That test was nowhere near as hard as I expected it to be. Problems were all straight from the notes and Alicia's notes are so perfect you swear they were written by a machine. Who knew studying for a couple of hours could make the test that much easier? I can't even remember the last time I studied for a test.

Brrr. There was water dripping down my nose and onto the desk and there was a puddle on my seat. It was suddenly quite cold in this classroom. I felt flustered and sweaty up to now, I guess my wet clothes are finally getting to me.

A few of my classmates were staring at me, probably waiting for what the court jester would do next, than any sense of concern for why I showed up to school soaking wet. Hayate looked dead to the world. Just laying there and staring out the window, I doubt she even knows I'm here or seen me come in.

Then there was the other gaze burning into me like hellfire. I could see her with my peripheral vision staring at...my crossed legs...huh? Her eyes wandered down my legs and back up again...and that's just creepy. I could cover my chest but there wasn't much I could do about my legs.

"Testarossa-san what's wrong? Why are you soaking wet?" Our homeroom teacher asked as he walked by.

"I rode to school on my unicorn."

He sighed and shook his head and walked up to his desk.

"Listen up everyone! We have an assembly in the auditorium now. You're not allowed to use your phones..."

The rest of the students stood and I with them. I knew we'd have an assembly today. Hehe! I bet it's about my party. Having an assembly just for me makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...crap! I'm soaking wet and shivering! I need to change my clothes.

"Sensei! I need to go to the locker room to change!" I dashed up to his desk.

He stared at me for a few seconds then his gaze went down my uniform. "Yes yes. Hurry up now!"

I hurried out of the room and cautiously looked to the right all the way down the hall and then to the left. There weren't any teachers around so I just hoofed it fast as I could past the classrooms next to ours and down the hall. I took the steps two at a time and raced down the hall to the gymnasium.

The janitor still hadn't cut my padlock off and it didn't look like Nanoha had done any tampering so I unlocked it and hurriedly changed into my t-shirt and track pants I always kept in there. It was a little smelly but it's still better than being soaking wet. I wish I'd just put a dry set of clothes in my bag earlier. I thumped my head against the locker.

Woah...

I suddenly felt incredibly hot and flushed. I sat down for a second on the bench, sweat already dripping down my face, and took a deep breath. I don't feel so good. I leaned against the lockers...mmm nice cold lockers...and closed my eyes for a second. I wonder if I stood up too fast or something. Maybe a cold just hit me?

I managed to stand somehow and walked up a flight of stairs to the second floor hallway. The nurses station was right there and I knocked on the slightly ajar door and pushed it open.

"Ah! Testarossa-san!" Shamal beamed at me and sprang forward.

Uh oh.

"Would you sign here and here?"

I grudgingly took the clipboard and pen. "What's this?"

"Nothing...nothing. Just sign. It's no big deal." She clasped her hands behind her back and continued smiling.

"The undersigned hereby consent to the sexually transmitted infection tests recommended by..." Shamal had her signature scrawled there and she marked a couple of Xs where my name should go. "Is it common for school nurses to do this nowadays?"

"'Nowadays' makes you sound old. I just figured you needed this anyway and since you're dating Hayate...why not?"

Shamal suddenly looked a lot less friendly. Something about that smile was making my breathing a little more difficult. "I..I don't have an STI..I'll tell the principal you're trying to do weird stuff again."

Shamal sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine...you never let me have any fun...so why are you here?"

"I'm..." Was giving me a STD test supposed to be fun for her? "I'm not feeling so good. I think I have a fever."

"Okey dokey. Bend over and drop your pants."

"I'd rather go out in the rain and find a place to curl up and die."

Shamal sighed again. "Spoilsport. Put this under your tongue and shut-up for a while." She jammed a thermometer toward my mouth hole.

I made doubly certain it wasn't one of those butt thermometers and put it under my tongue. My legs were a little shaky so I kicked off my...where did my shoes go? I hoisted myself onto the bed and lay back so my head was on the very flat and hard pillow...

Stupid alarm clock. I rolled over and reach out my hand for my night table...there didn't seem to be anything there. I popped open an eye and stared at the white curtain in front of me. Where am I?

"Get up sleepy head?" Shamal threw back the curtain. "Are you feeling any better?" She held the back of her hand against my head.

Oh yeah. I came to the nurses room. F^ck! I missed the assembly. The one time in my entire life I want to go to an assembly and I'm sick and miss it. F^ck.

"Your temperature was quite high earlier and it's not normal for people to just drop off to sleep like that..."

"I think I'm okay now. I just got light headed from running around too much."

She narrowed her eyes at me and tapped her lip. "I guess I believe you. Don't be too rough on yourself. All that partying and...is hard on your system."

"Yeah." I wonder what she meant by "and"?

"Run along now. School's over."

I draped my legs over the side of the bed and hopped off the bed. I didn't feel wobbly anymore so I slipped on my shoes and walked across the...did Shamal get my shoes for me...and they're dry. She was looking at some paperwork now so I'll ask her some other time.

Yay! The days over and I didn't do anything. Man I need a smoke. I ran back to the classroom, grabbed my slightly damp book bag and ran out the main entrance.

There was a sudden chill as if the temperature dropped ten degrees.

"Fate dear." Mom floated towards me through the crowd of students waving and smiling with a trail of glitter and rainbows in her wake. She was happy and bouncy.

This was not going to be good. Mom only ever acted this cheerful and nice to me when there were people around...or acknowledged me at all unless she was forced to.

"I'd like to see your keys." She held out her hand expectantly.

"Why? I'm not giving you my keys!"

"Honey." Her eye twitched. "Don't be so loud. People are watching." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me along the sidewalk to the edge of the school ground. The school had a eight foot high brick and wrought iron wall around it, since it was so prestigious, and mom pulled me around the corner of it.

"What do you..."

Stinging pain on the side of my cheek and mom pulled back her hand.

"Give me your keys." No smile now. No glow. No glitter. Cold as steel.

"No." I stepped back but she still held my wrist.

She unclasped her handbag and reached her free hand inside.

I quickly rooted for my keys in my school bag and put them in her hand.

Don't come home tonight." She put them in her pocket and beamed a 20 megawatt smile.

"What?" I was shaking and my voice came out all jittery.

"I have a date so don't come home. I haven't told him I have teenage daughters yet and he doesn't need to know."

"Okay." Not like I can go home anyway now that she has my keys.

She just keeps racking up points for mother of the year. I bet they have her award in the mail. Highest point total the committee ever seen. Punching and neglect are definitely a bonus point combo.

"I knew you'd understand." Her glow returned in an instant and she floated back towards her car she parked in the bus lane.

Moms are great aren't they? I just love my mom so much sometimes that I just want to hug her till she stops breathing.

My face was stinging and my neck hurt. There's definitely a hand print on my face...or fist print. I can't even tell if she punched me or slapped me. I popped my collar and swung my book bag over my shoulder so I could hide my face with my arm. It's a good thing my book bag isn't too heavy or this would be torture. I quickly wiped my eyes with my sleeve and went back out to the sidewalk.

"Fate-chan. What'cha doin? Want to go shopping with me?" Hayate prodded me in the ribs with her elbow.

"Can I ask you a favour?"

Hayate's face split open with a grin. "Hehe sure!" She rubbed her hands together.

"Can I stay over tonight?" I tried my best to sound upbeat.

"On a school night? I don't think Signum will go for that one. She kinda knows that we're 'involved' with each other." She made air quotes.

"Okay." Great. This day keeps getting better and better.

Hayate eyed me and looked away for a second and back at me again. "Why don't you go ask Signum-cha...sensei. She's in the chemistry lab."

"Okay." I walked immediately off and I could feel Hayate's eyes burning into my back. I wonder if she knew something was wrong.

First I have to call sis. I haven't even see her all day and she wasn't in the tyrants car. I pulled out my phone and quickly dialled her number.

"Hi! I can't answer the phone right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you right away!"

God dammit!

I jogged toward the building through the open door and up the stairs. Subaru's parents definitely won't let me stay especially after the party. I'll have to find Teana...but she takes the bus and she's already gone home. I wonder if she has her phone with her...I have no money for a taxi and that's a long walk. I'll have to walk to the ATM in town first if Teana's brother lets me stay there.

Please Signum say yes.

The door was slightly open so I knocked and pushed it open a little more. There was no one here. "Crap." Maybe she's in the staff room or Shamal is in the nurse's office.

"Testarosaa?" Signum's head popped up from behind a bench. "What is it?"

"Can I ask you a small favour?"

"You still don't know the difference between 'can' and 'may' do you?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "Is this a favour I should do based on your exemplary behaviour?"

I've been good lately! I mean other than...and then...okay maybe not. "Ca...may I stay over tonight?"

Her eyes locked on me and I am incredibly grateful she does not have laser eyes or a flaming whip sword or I'd be dead on the spot. Shot down without even a word of warning. "It is a school night so no you may not. You are also...with Hayate so, even if it were not a school night, I would have to deny your request."

I let out a long sight. I couldn't help it. I have a long walk...and that's if Teana's parents say yes.

"Please...I'll behave myself."

"Hayate needs to study and she does not need you preoccupying her thoughts." Signum placed a scale on the bench and adjusted it.

"The floor is fine..."

"I said no."

"Okay."

I closed the door behind me and walked down the hall toward the entrance. I opened the door to the outside and sat on the concrete step. Just about everyone was gone now. A spattering of people were waiting for their rides but I didn't know any of them. I took out my phone again and hit redial.

""Hi! I can't answer the phone right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you right away!"

"Call me when you get this."

Did she even have her phone? Where the heck is she? I leaned back and rested my head on my hands. The sky was getting darker. It's probably going to rain again...wonderful. At least it's not windy like this morning.

I dialled Teana's number.

"We're sorry. The number you have reached is currently unavailable..."

This keeps getting better and better...maybe she's home now so I can try their land line.

I slowly dialled the number. There were rings going through at least. Please let Teana pick up! If it's her brother I'm going to..."

"Hello?" Came a masculine voice.

F^ck!

"Hi. Is Teana there please?" I hope he doesn't recognize my voice.

"She's not home yet." He paused for a second. "You're Fate aren't you..."

F^ck! "No, this is Alicia. I'm using my sis's phone." I did my very best to imitate that sugar in her voice.

"You're the one that had that party!" He went on like I hadn't said anything at all. "Now there's rumours going around about my daughter thanks to you."

Like that's my fault.

"You're parents should be ashamed of you!" He slammed down the phone.

You're right on the money with that one.

There was no choice where to go now. I have no money so I can't stay at an hotel in town and our shed is locked...I'd probably freeze in there anyway. Mom would probably kill me if I broke into our house...and I don't mean figuratively.

Yep! So definitely no choice. No choice at all.

It was drizzling now. At least the weather suits my mood.

* * *

Like always, reviews are appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

An half hour later at the Takamachi household.

Nanoha POV

* * *

"This chemistry problem is so stubborn! It just won't let me solve it." I laid my head on my arm and dropped my pencil.

The door flew open and I almost fell off my chair.

"How was your math test?" Mom crossed her arms and glared at me. I didn't hear her come up the stairs at all.

"It was great! I didn't have a problem with a single...hmm...problem." I wish I had studied on Friday and Saturday. Something tells me I'm going to be grounded.

"We'll see about that when we get your test back. You did not study well this weekend so I can't see how you think you did okay." She stomped across the room and picked up the exercise I was doing my chemistry homework in. "This one problem is all you have done?"

"I'm stuck...but I'll figure it out." Internet here I come.

"I've no doubt you will since you won't be doing anything else for a while."

I forgot I was grounded! Maybe I'll call Miyuki later or...sneak the internet when mom goes crocheting tonight.

"I've told Shiro to keep an eye on you so don't think you'll be getting away with anything when I'm gone." She put her hands on my two shoulders and squeezed, her eyes burning into my soul. "Don't disappoint me."

"Y...ye..yes...m...m...mom."

She withdrew her nails from my shoulders and stomped back across the room. "We'll be having dinner early tonight. Miyuki will be here around 4:30 so be washed and ready then."

"Sis is coming home!"

"Don't even think for a second you'll get out of your grounding just because she is home."

Poop. I want to go get pizza or something with Miyuki.

Mom closed the door behind her and hovered down the stairs. She must hover because she doesn't make any noise. I sound like a horse walking down them and that's when I'm trying to be quiet.

I wonder if Miyuki's chemistry book has an example like this one. If I can get this work done, I can ask Miyuki for help, but I won't need help and we can just talk and mom won't get mad.

Ding. Ding. Ding. The door bell rang. I should go get it. She'll yell at me if I don't. I walked as quickly as I could across my room and out the door.

Mom was at the bottom of the stairs glaring hard at me...so I froze to the spot. She opened the door.

Standing there, drenching wet, and hair hanging limply down her face...was Fate.

"Ms. Testarossa is there something I can do for you?" Mom stood squarely in the door and I could see Fate take half a step back.

"Yes...I'm...I'm..."

"Spit it out."

Fate's back straightened. "I'm locked out of my house and no one is home. Can I stay here...tonight."

"Where's your mother?"

Fate's head dropped and she stared at her shoes. "I don't know," she said meekly.

"Come in. You'll get pneumonia if you stay out in the rain like that." Mom stepped to one side to let Fate inside. "Where is your sister?"

"I don't know. She's not answering her phone," Fate said letting mom take her bag from her.

Mom's hand shot out towards Fat's face and she jumped back, turning her face to one side and raising a hand in defence. Mom just stood there hand still held out and stared at Fate. "I'm not going to hurt you." She gently cupped Fate's chin with her hand. "What happened to you?"

"I had an...accident this weekend." Fate's eyes drifted up to me on the stairs...but thankfully mom didn't notice.

"I see." She turned Fate's face to one side. "Looks like someone hit you."

"It's nothing. I'm just clumsy."

The two just stood there for a few moments and mom finally let go of her face. "Get Alicia some clothes from your sisters room!"

"Okay!" I ran up the stairs and threw open Miyuki's room door and pulled open her closet. I reached in to pull out an hangar...

Fate's staying here...Fate's staying here...I hate you brain! I like boys and I even have a boyfriend...or at least he wants to go out with me...not my boyfriend yet...stupid brain!

Fate's taller than Miyuki so a skirt will have to do. I took out a skirt and t-shirt. I opened her dresser drawer and took out some undies and a bra...this bra won't fit her. She's going to have to do without.

I ran back out the door. Mom would start yelling soon...

Fate was sitting on the wooden bench besides the door and mom was in front of her drying her hair with a towel. Oh poop...she was in her underwear. She had her arms across her chest but those long sexy legs...

"Nanoha hurry up!"

"Okay." I rushed down the stairs and put the clothes on the bench beside her and rushed up the stairs again. My stupid brain doesn't need to see stupid Fate in her stupid underwear. I opened my door and closed and locked it behind me. I slid down to the floor and rested my back against the wall.

"You remember where our bathroom is right?" There was quiet for a second. "I don't know when you people have dinner but we're having it a little early tonight so hurry up and go get changed. Wash up while you're at it."

I heard her footsteps up the stairs and then the bathroom door squeak open and close again.

Fate is in my bathroom undressing...pulling off her underwear and her bra...

Bang! "Why is your door locked? Wash your hands and set the table."

It's nice when mom can't barge in your room... but it wasn't like I had my hand in my underwear or touching myself or anything...I wasn't doing anything. I hopped to my feet and opened my door. Fate wasn't out yet so I walked down the hall and leaned against the wall to wait for her.

My underwear is we...

Fate opened the door and her eyes widened. She stepped out and flattened herself against the wall.

It's not like I can do anything to her. Mom would kill me long before she'd lay a hand on a guest and she's always so darned observant. I sighed and walked into the bathroom while Fate sprinted for the stairs.

Fate was naked in here...

I shook the thoughts from my head and washed my hands and ran back downstairs.

"Would you like me to set the table." Fate walked hesitantly up to mom.

"That's okay. You don't know where everything is and I told Nanoha to do it...if she ever gets her lazy ass in gear."

Eeep. I crept past them and ran for the kitchen. I have such terrible luck. Mom's always so...when we have quests and she's still simmering from my going to that stupid party...and it's all Fate's fault!

There were two extra chairs already at the table in the dining room. I have no idea when mom put them there. I swear she is a ninja sometimes. She appears out of nowhere and you never hear her unless you she wants you too. I bet she can kill you swiftly too...

I hurriedly took the plates and place mats to the table and...

Fate was right behind me placing forks and knives on the place mats I laid out. Maybe it's not everyone is quiet, it's just that I'm deaf..or I spend too much time in my own little world.

Fate was watching me closely and she was holding one of the knives pretty tightly in her right hand. I wonder if I smashed one of these plates into her smug face would it hurt more from her stabbing me ...or mom's swift brutal punishment...shiver... I shouldn't even have to question it.

"The ends of the table are for myself and Shiro but other than that sit where you'd like." The ninja appeared next to Fate and patted her on the shoulder. "How did the clothes fit?"

I wish I picked a short skirt and a tighter t-shirt becuase...NO...I picked exactly what I should have. I don't need a sexy Fate!

"If something is too tight we could try Nanoha's clothes. Nanoha's pudgier than..."

"Everything is fine." Fate cut in.

"Hi mom!" Miyuki wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"Hello dear. Dinner's ready so take a seat." Mom gently pushed her way out of Miyuki's hug and walked into the kitchen.

"Oh!" Miyuki rushed over to Fate and hugged into her lifting the taller girl off her feet. "I haven't see my little teddy bear in years!"

Teddy bear? I pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Where's your sister?" Miyuki and Fate sat to the other side of the table.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been able to call her." Fate looked down into her lap and sighed.

Dad walked hurriedly into the room and took his place at the head of the table. He glanced around the room. "We have a crowd tonight. It's nice having you girls here. It gets lonely with just the three of us.

Mom placed a carved roast onto the center of the table. Several side dishes mysteriously appeared around it from absolutely nowhere. Why am I the only one that notices this?

"Alicia is joining us for dinner tonight so I hope that is okay with you. Her _mother_..." the word positively dripped with venom and she mumbled something under her breath that I couldn't make out, "locked her out of her house and she's nowhere to be found."

"That's fine. I wonder why I don't see you girls here for dinner..." He coughed and closed his mouth tight.

"Mom," Miyuki said glancing at Fate. "This is..."

I kicked Miyuki in the knee and she immediately closed her mouth and picked up her fork without even looking at me. Miyuki is fast on the uptake. I don't know how many times we've come to silent agreements like this.

Mom eyed Miyuki but didn't say anything. It's definitely for the best that she thinks it's Alicia that is here rather than Fate. She can almost stand Alicia but Fate makes her grit her teeth from just saying her name.

"How was your math test today Alicia?" Mom clasped her hands in front of her on the table.

"I was a little late this morning so I had to rush but it was not difficult."

"Hmm. What problem did you have trouble with Nanoha?"

All of them...well...most of them. "The word problems." I could probably have figured them out if I had more time. There is no way I'm getting above a 60 on that test. I doubt Fate, the liar, will even come close to passing.

"I finished those first because they were worth so much but I don't remember what they were about."

I could feel mom's eyes skewering me without even looking up from my plate.

"You two girls can finish your homework together and then you can help Nanoha with her chemistry."

Seriously? I got 90% on my last test so how can Fate help me with anything to do with the subject. I doubt she's even passing the course. I doubt she even has a chemistry book!

"I could help you know." Miyuki frowned, poking at her food with her fork.

Mom took a sip of her of water and placed her fork on the place mat before speaking. "If you were any good at those subjects you'd have done engineering like we wanted instead of literature."

"Not this again." She rubbed her face and thumped her fist on the table. "I don't want to do engineering."

"It doesn't matter if you..."

"Dear," dad interjected, "it's nice that she's home. We don't need to have that argument again especially during dinner."

After that mom gritted her teeth and didn't say a word. I don't know what was worse, the explosion that we just nearly avoided or the eerie silence throughout the rest of the meal but that was still better than if mom had figured out that it was Fate sitting there eating her food.


End file.
